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Ask anyone who knows me, and “trail blazer” is not a term one would apply to me. “Unconventional?” Perhaps. “Bookish?” Certainly. And despite the fact that I
Ask anyone who knows me, and “trail blazer” is not a term one would apply to me. “Unconventional?” Perhaps. “Bookish?” Certainly. And despite the fact that I
Q: I have become a vegetarian within the last 7 months and I am 25 years old with an active lifestyle (5'8'' and 140 lbs). I am training for my first marathon this summer. I am on a seizure medication that occasionally gives me problems with low blood sugar. I try to eat regularly and add protein in at every snack or meal to maintain blood sugar. I have not noticed weight gain but rather weight shifting so to speak...my legs and thighs are thinner but I feel like I am getting a bit of a belly. Any suggestions for how to not limit carbs that are necessary for training but still getting the protein I need without all the extra calories?
The number one question most vegetarians are asked is "How do you get enough protein?", and the first question from people considering a vegetarian diet is "How will I get enough protein?"
There are so many reasons to go vegan. Some people simply don’t have the palette for the flesh of dead animals.
Other people go vegan because of the health benefits: Vegans have reduced risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, asthma, obesity, and multiple cancers.
Still, others choose veganism because they’re true environmentalists: The 400-page report recently published by the United Nations states that animal agriculture is the primary cause of global warming. (Factory farming emissions beat out transportation and industry emissions!) Every year in the United States alone, we raise and kill ten billion animals for food. As strange as it may sound, the pee, poop, burps, and farts of these animals are contributing to global warming. In addition, the amount of land, water, energy, and fossil fuels required to raise “meat” is exponentially higher than what’s needed to raise crops. It’s been said that if we all went vegan, we could use all our resources to end world hunger.
And finally, many people do choose veganism to spare the lives of animals. My whole life, I called myself an animal lover. But I never thought about farm animals, and how they went from living, feeling beings to “meat.” One day, I got a magazine in the mail that showed pictures of the “how” and described it in detail:
Cows and pigs are kept in pens so small they can’t even turn around. Chickens have their beaks seared off their faces with a hot blade (so they won’t peck each other or workers). Egg-laying hens are packed into cages so tightly they can’t open their wings. Male baby chicks—useless to the egg industry—are thrown (alive) into garbage bags and piled into dumpsters. That, or they’re fed through a grinding machine (alive) and used for feed, fertilizer, or rendering.
Even free-range animals are subject to the most alarming and barbaric acts of cruelty. There are very few laws governing the transport of farm animals, and of the few in existence, almost none are enforced. Animals spend hours overcrowded into trucks without food, water, temperature regulation, or protection from the elements. It’s common for many animals to die before they even reach the slaughterhouse. And if the weather is extreme, it’s even more common. In the cold months, animals will literally freeze to the floor or sides of the truck (alive). Workers will simply rip the animals (alive) off the truck, often leaving behind a limb.
From a health standpoint, there is no reason we need to eat animal products. There are countless atrocities in farming practices. To turn a blind eye to them simply because we like the taste of meat or dairy... Yes, the decision to be a vegan or an omnivore is definitely a moral issue.
