I see it all the time in arguments between vegans and non-vegans/vegetarians. The argument that going vegan is expensive. 

Here are the resources/articles that I have gathered so far for going vegan on a budget. Going vegan is a very achievable goal and only requires a little extra work and planning but in the long run it will be very rewarding for everyone. 

• Eat Vegan On $4 A Day, by Ellen Jaffe Jones [a book I’ve been meaning to check out via the library, or buying it used from the internet. I like buying used books personally]
• Vegan on the cheap (cookbook)
• Tips to eat vegan on a budget
• Vegan on a budget
• Eat vegan on the cheap

I’m out to really kill the myth that veganism isn’t cost effective because it’s simply not true. It just means diminishing personal desires to contribute to the world around you, which is very rewarding physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are admittedly all selfish in our own ways, but it’s learning what kind of selfish is beneficial to you and what is really harming yourself and others around you. 

If anyone else has any articles, or books they’d like to recommend that are specifically focused on going vegan on a budget, feel free to send them to me :) I’m trying to establish a small little database of resources. Have thoughts, comments or arguments against this idea? Feel free to let me know.

veganrantss:

veggie-taylor:

thevegancheese:

What Does SCIENCE Teach Us?
Compare Humans, to Animals, that eat MEAT: the Human body,
compared to that of a Carnivore’s, an Omnivore’s and a Herbivore’s. 
The Human body is more like that of a Herbivore’s body! 

►FRONT TEETH:
Carnivores’ are sharp and pointed for tearing. 
Humans’ & Herbivores’ are broad, flattened & spade shaped.

►BACK MOLARS: 
Carnivores’ are jagged and blade shaped. 
Humans’ are flattened with nodular cusps.
Herbivores’ are flat with cusps vs complex surface.

►SALIVA:
Carnivores’ no digestive enzymes.
Humans’ & Herbivores’ have carbohydrate digesting enzymes.

►STOMACH ACID:
Carnivores’ have stronger stomach acids to break down meat.
Humans’ & Herbivores’ stomach acid is 20x weaker than Carnivores’, about 5% the strength of a Carnivore’s.

►SMALL INTESTINES:
Carnivores’ are short, 3x their body length. [for quick digestion]
Humans’ & Herbivores’ are long, 10-12x their body length. [for slower digestion]

►LARGE INTESTINES:
Carnivores’ are short.
Humans’ & Herbivores’ are long.

►SKIN PORES:
Carnivores have no skin pores, perspire through their tongues.
Humans have skin pores, perspire through skin.

►NAILS:
Carnivores have sharp claws.
Humans have flattened nails.
Herbivores have flattened nails or blunt hooves.


►MEAT=WASTE
7,000,000,000 billion livestock Animals in the United States, 
consume 5x as much grain as is consumed directly by the
entire American population. 41,000,000 tons of plant protein
is fed to livestock to produce 7,000,000 tons of Animal protein.
http://news.iskcon.com/node/2427/2009-12-10/meat_truth

AND…A True Meat-Eater Will Eat Their Meat RAW!

Taken from The Bible’s Take On Eating Meat.

I tell people this ALL THE TIME

Science is wrong listen to the government meat is good for you.

I keep TRYING to tell people this but they go “no we have canine teeth. They’re named canines because they look like a canine’s teeth”………. yeah ok. So because I look like Eva Mendez, that must mean I am her.

hexumshex:

Ignorance is bliss. Last night I looked up food companies who use wood pulp in their products and saw that Morning Star is one of those. I can ignore that for my love of morning star, right? Too bad today at my nanny job I was cutting up morning star nuggets and pulled THIS out of one! Two strikes for morning star. :(

PROOF! 

theinformedvegan:

Last week we ran a post about the proposed $25 million donation to Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) from Bob’s Red Mill founders, Bob and Charlee Moore. Fans of the Red Mill were crushed to learn that OHSU is a major center for animal testing. Saddened customers sent tweets, wrote letters, and even started facebook groups to try and convince Bob and Charlee to change their minds and take back the pledge.

Yesterday, Bob’s Red Mill’s public relations staff published a response on the company website on behalf of Bob and Charlee. Check out their response as well as the message from OHSU.

Here is what I took from Bob and Charlee’s message:

- They were alarmed by the overwhelming response from customers.

- They addressed the customer’s animal testing concerns with OHSU.

- They claimed that their donation won’t be spent on animal testing.

The responses from both parties were well crafted. Bob seemed genuinely concerned but OHSU was purposefully vague. OHSU mentions the focus of the funds but still will not say that the funds won’t be spent on animal testing. In fact, OHSU goes out of their way to not use the words “animal testing” at all. If they are truly not going to spend the funds on animal testing then they can easily say that.

Some will argue that even though Bob and Charlee say the funds won’t be spent on animal testing, a $25 million dollar donation to one part of the university allows OHSU to relocate less restricted funds to another part which may test on animals. 

I don’t think I’d be alone in saying that a $25 million donation to an organization that tests on animals is not a good thing. OHSU was ranked among the Ten Worst Labratories for violations to the Animal Welfare Act. With this legacy, it will be hard for Bob and Charlee to keep explaining “yes, we gave money to an institution that tests on animals but we told them not to spend the money on animal testing.”

In the end, animals are still suffering in OHSU laboratories. The Moore’s of Bob’s Red Mill gave $25 million to an institution renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall calls “barbaric” and a “very black mark against humanity.” Fans of Bob and his Red Mill are left shaking their heads confused, disappointed, and wondering why the Moore’s didn’t look for a nutritional research institute that doesn’t test on animals.

iwant2ctw:

1. CHANGE YOUR LIGHT
If every household in the United State replaced one regular lightbulb with one of those new compact fluorescent bulbs, the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road.

Don’t like the color of light? Use these bulbs for closets, laundry rooms and other places where it won’t irk you as much.

2. GO VEGETARIAN ONCE A WEEK
One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. You will also save some trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed.

3. SECOND-HAND DOESN’T MEAN SECOND-BEST
Consider buying items from a second-hand store. Toys, bicycles, roller blades, and other age and size-specific items are quickly outgrown. Second hand stores often sell these items in excellent condition since they are used for such a short period of time, and will generally buy them back when you no longer need them.

4. CHOOSE MATCHES OVER LIGHTERS 
Most lighters are made out of plastic and filled with butane fuel, both petroleum products. Since most lighters are considered “disposable,” over 1.5 billion end up in landfills each year. When choosing matches, pick cardboard over wood. Wood matches come from trees, whereas most cardboard matches are made from recycled paper.

5. CUT DOWN ON JUNK MAIL 
Feel like you need to lose a few pounds? It might be your junk mail that’s weighing you down. The average American receives 40 pounds of junk mail each year, destroying 100 millions trees. There are many services that can help reduce the clutter in your mailbox, saving trees and the precious space on your countertops.

6. GIVE IT AWAY
Before you throw something away, think about if someone else might need it. Either donate to a charitable organization or post it on a web site designed to connect people and things, such as Freecycle.org.

7. PAY BILLS ONLINE
By some estimates, if all households in the U.S. paid their bills online and received electronic statements instead of paper, we’d save 18.5 million trees every year, 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and 1.7 billion pounds of solid waste.

8. WASH IN COLD OR WARM
If all the households in the U.S. switched from hot-hot cycle to warm-cold, we could save the energy comparable to 100,000 barrels of oil a day.

Only launder when you have a full load.

9.  Unplug unused chargers and appliances

It’s an easy way to cut down on energy and it will also save a few bucks on your electric bill. 40% of all electricity is used to power home appliances while they’re turned off. 

10.  Buy an inexpensive reusable water bottle

 Stop buying plastic disposable bottles. Out of the 50 billion bottles of water being bought each year, 80% end up in a landfill - that’s 40 billion unrecycled water bottles. Also, it’s just a lot more cost and energy effective to use a reusable water bottle.

*Did we miss something? Got any new ideas? Let us know here

Tips and pictures courtesy of : 50 Ways To Help, SimpleMom and Good Life Bottles.

theinformedvegan:

Michelle Obama has helped secure a legally binding agreement with the owners of Olive Garden and Red Lobster that would require the restaurants to reduce calories and serve free milk refills to kids.

The agreement between parent company, Darden Restaraunts, and “Let’s Move” is an obvious PR campaign for Olive Garden and Red Lobster, paid for by the American taxpayer. The restaurants make minor menu changes and they get an endorsement from the First Lady. Good deal for them.

Here is what Darden Restaurants agreed to do:

- Serve milk (with free refills) as the default drink on kid’s meals.

- Offer healthier side dishes in place of fries (which will be available on request).

- A 10 percent reduction to calories and sodium in kids items by 2016.

- A 20 percent reduction to calories and sodium in kids items by 2021.

This means that by 2021, Olive Garden’s ”Kid’s Chicken Fingers and Pasta” will go from 515 calories to 403 calories. But don’t forget, the kids get unlimited milk refills and each glass weighs in at 110 calories.

I tend to think very highly of Michelle Obama, but this feels like a government sponsored advertisement for Olive Garden and Red Lobster disguised as “health reform.” 

This is where I feel disappointment. :/ 

American food is in a state of crisis. Health, food costs and our environment are all in jeopardy. A movement to put good food back on the table is emerging. What began 30 years ago with chefs demanding better flavor, has inspired consumers to seek relationships with nearby farmers. This is local food.

(Source)

(Source: weeat2live)

vincentxanthony:

fernandoissocool:

Some cheeses contain rennet (enzyme complex active in young mammals’ stomachs to digest their mothers milk). Which is used to curdle the milk in cheese and usually involves the death of a cow or calves to be extracted. If you want to avoid eating part of a calf’s stomach when eating cheese then look for vegetarian or rennet-free cheese. Microbial enzymes are supposed to be a vegetarian alternative as well. Damn you cheese, why do you have to taste so good?!

Did you know that all cheese or milk production results in the death of many cows?  First off is the milk-bearing cow.  To produce milk, she must be impregnated (artificially in this case), and then spends a terrible life in tiny shit covered quarters with pumps hooked to her udders. Then comes the calf.  If female, she suffers the same short, painful life. If male, he is taken away and locked in a crate until his malformed body can be used for veal while his mother screams out for him.

It doesn’t matter how good it tastes. If you don’t want to kill something, don’t support its death.

(Source: sudhershi)

theinformedvegan:

West Hollywood is officially the first city in the country to ban the sale of fur. 

The West Hollywood City Council has voted unanimously to ban the sale of fur within city limits. Any store caught selling fur products after the ban is in place will be hit with a serious fine. The City Council will meet in two weeks to work out enforcement procedures and a ban start date.

The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce intends to battle the ban, telling press, “We feel it’s unconstitutional.” The Chamber worries about the effect the ban may have on the local economy. Forty-seven percent of all clothing retailers in West Hollywood sell fur and 7 percent of those say they would move out of town if the ban passed.

Fur, especially in warm Southern California, doesn’t seem like a major customer draw. To top it off, a survey earlier this year found that nearly 95 percent of people “refuse” to wear real fur. It might be time for these folks to get into a different business altogether.

Banning the sale of fur sends a strong message to consumers that they should be concerned about how fur products are produced. Whether it hurts the economy or not, in the end, banning fur is right thing to do.

thejourneyfromhere:

Another week begins! I’m having a little trouble getting motivated to power through my do to list this morning, but I’m working on it. :)

This weekend was a pretty busy one with my 8 mile run in Forest Park and the Portland VegFest. As far as meals go, we enjoyed some quick and easy ones. Observe. 

1. Tortilla Pizza

I threw together this yummy meal after we got back home from Portland VegFest. I simply spread some marinara sauce on a brown rice tortilla and topped it with chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, minced garlic, and chopped spinach. I baked our ‘pizzas’ for about 12 minutes on 400. The brown rice tortilla provided a nice and chewy gluten free ‘crust’.

2. Lentil Stew

I stole this recipe for Lazy Girl’s Lentil Soup from Kath. I substituted the peas and peppers for some frozen bagged kale I picked up from the store.

On the side - roasted potatoes (with olive oil and S&P).

3. Bean, Cheese and Spinach Quesadilla

I had this for lunch on Sunday and it was delicious. 

To one side of a brown rice tortilla, I spread some canned refried pinto beans and added some Daiya Pepperjack, a big handful of spinach, and some leftover enchilada sauce. I let it heat in a dry skillet for a few minutes per side. Mmm.

Topped with fresh cilantro. This took me less than 10 minutes to make!

In other food related news, I tried making gluten-free vegan pancakes over the weekend, and it was a disaster.

Just look at those sad little pancakes. I tried adapting the recipe off a package of Bob’s Red Mill Oat Flour. Oh well. Better luck next time. 

Now on to that to do list…

(via addictedtovegan)