Zoë Stagg

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Top 5 Reasons to Go Vegan…

“Huh. I haven’t eaten cheese in six years.”

“I’m sorry.”

I’m not. It’s the easiest thing in the world, a decision I made six years ago today, and arguably the one practice an individual can undertake that has the greatest impact. Sure, vote, volunteer, do all that — but changing what you consume, reaches WAY beyond yourself.

Need more reasons to join me? Here’s five (give or take an archive):

  • You’d Rather Eat Food Than Poop and Suffering. When Burger King acknowledges that the farming practices that supply their restaurants are bad enough to change, can you IMAGINE the rest of the stuff you’ve put in your mouth? Try it. Look here, then look at your scrambled eggs.
  • You Will Not Feel Deprived. How could you possibly when you can make your own falafel and Ethiopian red lentils from scratch? “So what do you eat?” “Everything.” Animal products aren’t even a sliver of the pie chart of consumables. Mmm. Pie. (Yep, you can have that too.)

  • You Enjoy a Habitat That Supports Carbon-Based Life. “More than two-thirds of all agricultural land is devoted to growing feed for livestock, while only 8 percent is used to grow food for direct human consumption…the global livestock industry uses dwindling supplies of freshwater, destroys forests and grasslands, and causes soil erosion, while pollution and the runoff of fertilizer and animal waste create dead zones in coastal areas and smother coral reefs.” Hey, if a 12 year old can understand and articulate the impact, how about we help out and not flood our planet with manure bogs. Unless you like that sort of thing.
  • It’s Hard to Find a Reason TO Eat It. When the New York Times has to run an essay contest to come up with an ethical argument for eating it, isn’t it way easier to shun it than to try and justify your nugget? (I justified wearing this shirt today to celebrate my vegiversary on account that it’s true in a sense and also funny.)

  • You Feel Like Not Being Sick. I am not allowed to donate blood. I am healthy with an often-needed blood type — but no one can benefit from it l because I lived in the UK after 1980. Mad cow. So, you can’t give blood if you have AIDS or if you’ve eaten beef. And yes, it was a dairy cow they found this week, but holes in your brain v. hamburger… Not to mention all the good fats, the good cholesterol, the actual fuel your body needs, don’t get spelled E-I-E-I-O.
  • Honorable Mention: Vegenaise. Game, set, mayo.
Sure, compelling and sensical given that two-thirds of this marble and two-thirds of us is water. Though, how’s about this: Many marine ecologists think that the biggest single threat to marine ecosystems today is overfishing. “Populations of top predators, a key indicator of ecosystem health, are disappearing at a frightening rate, and 90 percent of the large fish that many of us love to eat, such as tuna, swordfish, marlin, cod, halibut, skate, and flounder - have been fished out since large scale industrial fishing began in the 1950s.” Seems like the real “top predators” are us. How about keep it clean — AND out of your mouth.

Sure, compelling and sensical given that two-thirds of this marble and two-thirds of us is water.

Though, how’s about this:

Many marine ecologists think that the biggest single threat to marine ecosystems today is overfishing.

“Populations of top predators, a key indicator of ecosystem health, are disappearing at a frightening rate, and 90 percent of the large fish that many of us love to eat, such as tuna, swordfish, marlin, cod, halibut, skate, and flounder - have been fished out since large scale industrial fishing began in the 1950s.”

Seems like the real “top predators” are us. How about keep it clean — AND out of your mouth.

Wow, Martha. Wow. This is a “very good” message. Stop the parchment paper — Martha is making a really important point here. And good for her.

vegansaurus:

You know I love Martha Stewart! So check out her new PSA against factory farming. Go Martha! I think I’ve already said everything before that I can say about Martha Stewart so I guess I’m kind of tapped out. Um, well, I love her! If she becomes vegan I will die a million times and go to heaven over and over. 

I’ve never been a proselytizing vegan. I model good vegan behavior, I answer questions when asked, usually with, “No really, it’s incredibly easy,” and I don’t make what I eat, a “thing” for others. My choice/your choice. I say who, I say when. It’s been almost six years now, and I may be…too far gone. Past the point where I can aid and abet a non-herb lifestyle. I was at the grocery store last night, shopping for dinner ingredients. And I passed through the meat section. Now, other common answers given include: “It’s primarily environmental and health reasons,” “I grew up on a farm, supermarket animal products are too far removed from the source,” “I can’t support factory farming,” but usually not talking points in the animal-rights wing of thought. But in the meat section of this Italian grocery store, wrapped in plastic on a foam tray, was a creature’s tongue. It is no dramatization to say, my vision got black around the edges and I had to turn away and hold onto a shelf until the store stopped spinning. Now Roger, got it, different cultures eat different things, but this, that sight, that isn’t geographically cultural. It’s a very literal argument against civilization. Barbarians cut out tongues as punishment, horrifically silencing those they conquered. Sadly, it’s not all ancient history. If that story shocks you, why would it be any different if it happened to any other creature? I think a lot of people eat meat because how we see it in the store or on the plate, doesn’t resemble where it came from. A chop doesn’t look like a baby lamb. I don’t have that disconnect anymore. And that tongue yesterday, made it all too loud what we’re doing, we who claim to be some sort of advanced society. How? How can one claim to be capable of advanced and critical thought, and participate in a practice like that? Especially when so many of us have the luxury of getting to choose what we eat. Besides. Who needs meat when you have better things to roast? (Pictured: Soon-to-be Lemon-Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Carrots with Baby Onions.)

I’ve never been a proselytizing vegan. I model good vegan behavior, I answer questions when asked, usually with, “No really, it’s incredibly easy,” and I don’t make what I eat, a “thing” for others.

My choice/your choice. I say who, I say when.

It’s been almost six years now, and I may be…too far gone. Past the point where I can aid and abet a non-herb lifestyle. I was at the grocery store last night, shopping for dinner ingredients. And I passed through the meat section.

Now, other common answers given include: “It’s primarily environmental and health reasons,” “I grew up on a farm, supermarket animal products are too far removed from the source,” “I can’t support factory farming,” but usually not talking points in the animal-rights wing of thought.

But in the meat section of this Italian grocery store, wrapped in plastic on a foam tray, was a creature’s tongue. It is no dramatization to say, my vision got black around the edges and I had to turn away and hold onto a shelf until the store stopped spinning.

Now Roger, got it, different cultures eat different things, but this, that sight, that isn’t geographically cultural. It’s a very literal argument against civilization. Barbarians cut out tongues as punishment, horrifically silencing those they conquered. Sadly, it’s not all ancient history. If that story shocks you, why would it be any different if it happened to any other creature?

I think a lot of people eat meat because how we see it in the store or on the plate, doesn’t resemble where it came from. A chop doesn’t look like a baby lamb. I don’t have that disconnect anymore. And that tongue yesterday, made it all too loud what we’re doing, we who claim to be some sort of advanced society.

How? How can one claim to be capable of advanced and critical thought, and participate in a practice like that? Especially when so many of us have the luxury of getting to choose what we eat.

Besides. Who needs meat when you have better things to roast?

(Pictured: Soon-to-be Lemon-Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Carrots with Baby Onions.)

[Coconut] Creamy Pumpkin Chipotle Soup The last recipe I invented* and posted was in December 2007. Four years later, if I post it, rest assured your face needs to eat it. Bonus, it’s SO easy. You Need: 1 large can of pumpkin (not the sweet-for-pie kind — plain.) 2 cans of coconut milk. (Light is acceptable.) 2 chipotle peppers (from a can.) 2 onions 2-4 cups of vegetable stock, depending on how thick you like your soup. Cumin, curry, salt, pepper to taste. To Do: Chop and carmelize the onions in olive oil. Dump in pumpkin, coconut milk, and vegetable stock. Take the seeds out of the peppers (OMG SO IMPORTANT) and mince. Dump in to mixture, add a spoonful of the pepper-can sauce if you like your business hot. Add your spices. You know. Like a small pile in your palm of the cumin and curry. Either/both, depending on what your tongue likes. Bring to a light boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Add corn if you’re feeling fiesta. Eat. *”I made this last night, courtesy of my organic produce delivery box (and then I went out and camped in a tree and fashioned a tunic out of hemp and leaves…)” See? Four years later and I still only camp if it’s professionally mandated.

[Coconut] Creamy Pumpkin Chipotle Soup

The last recipe I invented* and posted was in December 2007. Four years later, if I post it, rest assured your face needs to eat it. Bonus, it’s SO easy.

You Need:

1 large can of pumpkin (not the sweet-for-pie kind — plain.)

2 cans of coconut milk. (Light is acceptable.)

2 chipotle peppers (from a can.)

2 onions

2-4 cups of vegetable stock, depending on how thick you like your soup.

Cumin, curry, salt, pepper to taste.

To Do:

Chop and carmelize the onions in olive oil.

Dump in pumpkin, coconut milk, and vegetable stock.

Take the seeds out of the peppers (OMG SO IMPORTANT) and mince. Dump in to mixture, add a spoonful of the pepper-can sauce if you like your business hot.

Add your spices. You know. Like a small pile in your palm of the cumin and curry. Either/both, depending on what your tongue likes.

Bring to a light boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Add corn if you’re feeling fiesta.

Eat.

*”I made this last night, courtesy of my organic produce delivery box (and then I went out and camped in a tree and fashioned a tunic out of hemp and leaves…)”

See? Four years later and I still only camp if it’s professionally mandated.

Riddle me this, Don Draper. Vega is a pretty cool company — plant-based performance foods created by vegan professional Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier. Promoting the fact that you can be an elite athlete without animal protein is inspiring and important. How come then, in the ad for the Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer, among the nutritional attributes, do they tout: Protein = 4 farm fresh eggs. Iron = 29 oz. of beef. Omega 3s = 6 oz. wild salmon. Calcium  = 5 cups of milk. Probiotics = 100g. yogurt. Yet on the the MyVega site they are careful to note: “3) Made with all natural, plant-based ingredients (absolutely no animal products).” That’s a plateful of contradiction right there. Besides the fact that they’re making the argument that somehow a plant-based diet isn’t complete without nutrients that exist in Old MacDonald’s barnyard, if you choose not to eat animal products, one of the big reasons is that the idea of eating animal products is foul. And fowl. Both. The ad is in a women’s bodybuilding mag, so perhaps they think they have to buckle to pressure from the “egg white and whey” crowd to be heard. But aren’t you — and your message — are stronger if you don’t? Update: Vega responded via Twitter: @zoestagg Thx Zoe, it’s a graphic representation showing that u don’t need those items to get the required nutrition- it’s in our WFHO:) I like that they did. I would still personally prefer not looking at raw beef and fish when considering a product to consume, but I dig their company mission and appreciate that they took the time to reply.

Riddle me this, Don Draper.

Vega is a pretty cool company — plant-based performance foods created by vegan professional Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier. Promoting the fact that you can be an elite athlete without animal protein is inspiring and important.

How come then, in the ad for the Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer, among the nutritional attributes, do they tout:

Protein = 4 farm fresh eggs.

Iron = 29 oz. of beef.

Omega 3s = 6 oz. wild salmon.

Calcium  = 5 cups of milk.

Probiotics = 100g. yogurt.

Yet on the the MyVega site they are careful to note: “3) Made with all natural, plant-based ingredients (absolutely no animal products).”

That’s a plateful of contradiction right there. Besides the fact that they’re making the argument that somehow a plant-based diet isn’t complete without nutrients that exist in Old MacDonald’s barnyard, if you choose not to eat animal products, one of the big reasons is that the idea of eating animal products is foul. And fowl. Both.

The ad is in a women’s bodybuilding mag, so perhaps they think they have to buckle to pressure from the “egg white and whey” crowd to be heard.

But aren’t you — and your message — are stronger if you don’t?

Update: Vega responded via Twitter: @zoestagg Thx Zoe, it’s a graphic representation showing that u don’t need those items to get the required nutrition- it’s in our WFHO:)

I like that they did. I would still personally prefer not looking at raw beef and fish when considering a product to consume, but I dig their company mission and appreciate that they took the time to reply.