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Nov 25, 2009

For a truly delicious vegan Thanksgiving meal, it’s easy to replicate traditional dishes. There’s also great enjoyment to be found in incorporating non-traditional, festive holiday recipes to add some originality to the Thanksgiving table.

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Posted: Nov 25, 2009 9:10pm
Nov 4, 2009

If you've ever wanted to learn about growing food veganically (without the use of any animal products or chemical fertilizers), there is a fantastic opportunity coming up, provided by The Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC).

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Posted: Nov 4, 2009 2:00pm
Nov 4, 2009

Because the dietary culture of our society revolves around meat, eggs and dairy milk, and because animal food industry lobbyists have been influential over the educational resources that many rely on for information about nutrition, it's understandable that people are uncertain about whether a vegan diet is nutritionally adequate, especially for those who have specific health concerns, food allergies or unusual dietary requirements.

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Posted: Nov 4, 2009 1:58pm
Oct 29, 2009
What do vegans eat? It's a common concern, and a question that has become something of a joke amongst vegans, for the simple reasons that a) we've all heard it at one time or another, and b) the opportunities are endless for delicious, exciting food made of totally vegan (plant-based, cholesterol-free) ingredients.

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Posted: Oct 29, 2009 2:33pm
Oct 18, 2009

In an attempt to provide some guidance for those who are genuinely attracted to the values of veganism, but are not sure of how to go about making what might appear on the surface to be a quantum leap in behavior, I would like to try and shine a light on some of the myths that contribute to the common misconception that being vegan is too difficult, or even impossible for certain individuals.

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Posted: Oct 18, 2009 4:13pm
Feb 9, 2009
Going to the garden in the morning is an adventure in the magical realm of transformation. Although I love to grow flowering plants, I've never actually tried my hand at growing food. I suspect that I am missing out on one of life's most exciting pleasures. It amazes me enough to think that plants can turn soil, water, air and sunlight into flowers. But when I allow my mind to ponder the fact that some plants turn those sources of energy into food in abundance, it appears to me to be one of the great miracles of life.

It's easy to take it for granted, especially when the food we eat is so far removed from its original source, as it is when we buy it in supermarkets and grocery stores. Growing our own food provides us with a powerful opportunity to tune in to our relationship with nature.

Food plants simply go about their business, bathing in the light of the sun and absorbing its energy, taking in rainwater to hydrate themselves, and using their roots to seek the nutrition that is present in the soil. It seems like a simple procedure, certainly when it is taught to children in school, yet I know there's more fascinating detail to it than that.

But the amazing part of it to me is not the science, exactly. It's more the incredible brilliance of a system that works so harmoniously. It seems so right to me, that food can be generated in this way, and so appropriate for humans, who do not get excited by the idea of preying on other creatures.

Sooner or later, people everywhere are going to be growing their own food. The current system of food production is simply unsustainable, and in a new economy and a new society, changes must be made. People are already beginning to be nourished, body and soul, by community and rooftop gardens, farmers' markets, and backyard veggie plots, where they have never been before.

Change is essential, and I believe it's inevitable. This evolution will bring with it multiple benefits, not the least of which will be better personal and environmental health. But hidden in amongst the other positive effects will be a very special opportunity for those who seek it: The promise of re-kindling one's fascination with the natural world.

Helping plants to grow has the potential of leading us to a gentle but profound spiritual awakening, an enlightening experience which can help us find a sense of peace and belonging. In this life, where we are so far removed from many of the miracles of life, re-connecting with nature is something we all need, and it's re-assuring to know that we can achieve it in a way as simple as growing our own food.
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Posted: Feb 9, 2009 1:49pm
Feb 2, 2009
I've been looking through an important book called Water Voices by William Marks. It's a beautiful book - its many informative pages illustrated with stunning images of the different faces of water and some of the magnificent creatures that depend on its preservation for their survival.

Water Voices brings to light some fascinating information about water and our relationship with it: "Our human brain is about 85% water. The very act of thinking is made possible because our brains float in water. Thus, freed from the downward pull of gravity, we are free to think, create and dream."

Learning this simple fact causes me to ponder its significance. Not only can we experience water externally; bathing in a lake or a pool, gazing at a magnificent waterfall or listening to the soothing sound of a river passing by, but we also imbibe it into our physical selves, where it "begins its journey to nourish every cell in our bodies - a journey that has water flowing through over 60,000 miles of veins and arteries."

What are the implications in regard to our relationship with water globally? It's simple. As we do to water, so we do to ourselves. Despite the significance of water as being essential to the survival of all life on Earth, and despite the fact that ecologically-oriented people are, for the most part, aware of the importance of conserving it, we still continue to waste and contaminate this precious resource. There are simple water conservation practices that anyone can do, whatever their situation, such as turning off the water during showering. But there are other lifestyle changes we can make that are even more far-reaching, such as eating lower on the food chain, thereby limiting all of the resources required to provide us with our food.

Animal agriculture wastes a lot more water than most people realize. According to The World Peace Diet by Dr. Will Tuttle, "Agriculture consumes fully eighty-five percent of all U.S. freshwater resources, mainly to produce animal foods. A day's production of food for one omnivore human requires more than four thousand gallons of water, compared with less than three hundred gallons for a vegan...."

If the previous statistic is hard to put into perspective, the video, A Life Connected explains it very clearly: "By simply making vegan choices, you can save over 1.3 million gallons of water every year. That's so much water, that being vegan, you could leave your shower on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and still you couldn't waste as much water as someone consuming an animal-based diet." Not only is animal agriculture the number one waster of water, but it is also the number one polluter of water.

With this in mind, and with the current political dialogue in the U.S. focused on seeking ways to create lasting change for the better, it seems that addressing the issue of responsible water usage in food production is as important an issue as any. In the words of William Marks: "Given today's challenges, it may be wise for us to adopt a modern global water philosophy - a philosophy whereby we work as co-creators with water to help restore balance to our Earth and life in abundance."
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Posted: Feb 2, 2009 12:00am

 

 
 
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Author

Angel Flinn
female, age 32, single
Kapaau, HI, USA
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