Just another ConsumerBrigade.com weblog with a vegan twist
I came across a great website that is a one stop shop for your vegetarian or vegan needs. (Though it’s always good to keep looking for new ones).
You can find it here: http://www.chooseveg.com/
It’s pretty cool having nutritional information, links to restaurant finders, recipes, and a ton of educational tidbits about being vegetarian or vegan all in one place.
from 1645 votesMaybe I’ve been living under a rock but I had no idea this was on the California November Ballot this year: Prop 2, “The California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act.”
Be sure to vote Yes on Prop 2 to achieve the following:
Basically, Prop 2 will force companies and farms to phase out confining animals in crates and cages that don’t allow them to move or turnaround. The law takes effect in 2015 and would require that calves raised for veal, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens are given enough space to turn around, lie down, and stretch their limbs.
Hard to believe a law has to go into place to allow for this but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
To find out more info, you can go here: http://www.humanecalifornia.org/
from 1495 votesIf you’re up near San Francisco, hanging out in the East Bay (Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville) and want to visit a vegan restaurant, below are some suggestions.
What’s interesting about this area is that many restaurants are for omnivores AND vegans. I haven’t found this elsewhere and makes for a nice change as it’s easier to meet your non-vegan friends over a meal.
Cha-Ya - This is an all vegan Japanese Sushi restaurant in Berkeley that always has a line out the door. We usually do take out here as the establishment is fairly small and it can take while to get a table. I really appreciate it, though, because the sushi tastes great without the fish smell or contamination from non-vegan sushi that I get at non-vegan sushi restaurants.
Fellini - Fellini is a family favorite located in Berkeley off of University Ave. We frequent this restaurant about once a week and it’s always packed. By night it’s an Italian restaurant that has a menu for both vegans and meat eaters. By morning/early afternoon on Saturday and Sunday they serve the best brunch available to vegans (Tofu scramble, vegan french toast, vegan bacon and more). Amazing food and a lot of variety. Again, another perk here is that there’s brunch for vegans and non-vegans so it’s a great place to meet friends over the weekend. The staff is also extremely friendly and accommodating. (More than I’ve ever experienced at any other restaurant). Two thumbs up!
Picante - Picante is a Mexican restaurant in West Berkeley. The food is fast, but the decor is a sit down type restaurant which enhances the experience. They have both a meat eater and vegan/vegetarian menu. The food is above average for a fast food Mexican restaurant (better than Taco Bell or Baja Fresh for sure) and it’s a great place to meet friends or have a relaxing meal without straining your budget.
Pizza Plaza - Pizza Plaza is located in Oakland just beyond Berkeley. I LOVE this place. The decor is wanting but the pizzas are great. This is exclusively a vegan AND vegetarian pizza parlor. For vegan pizzas they use Teez Cheese and have a wheat crust that taste great. And, the pizzas are never greasy. For a vegan they have SIXTEEN specialty pizzas as well as pizzas you can customize. A must to check out.
Souley Vegan - This is a completely vegan soul food restaurant in Oakland. It’s amazing. They have “crispy tofu” burgers or filets which tastes like catfish. Their BBQ tofu is also out of this world. Sides are items such as macaroni and cheese, potato salads, greens, fried okra, and cornbread. My partner is from Tennessee and loves this place (they pass the Southern Soul Food test). Only cons are there is little parking (metered) and they only take cash. Definitely worth a visit, though.
from 1621 votesLooking for vegan friends, recipes, nutritional info, or have questions? Visit the communities below.
Cool Vegan - Community, recipes, and shopping resources for vegans
The Post Punk Kitchen - Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s website.
RecipeZaar - 11,000+ Vegan Recipes
Vegan Represent - Online vegan community and messageboard
VegConnect - Networking community for Vegans & Vegetarians
VegPage - The Free Vegan Community
Vegan Porn - A fun & informational vegan site
Wellsphere - Connect with other vegans and receive support with your dietary goals
from 1554 votesFor those out there who are concerned with cosmetic products that are free of animal testing or ingredients, below are companies offering vegan cosmetics:
from 1545 votesThis is the vegan food pyramid. It’s a handy visual to get a sense of what is available for vegans to eat and a good teaching tool. Click on the image to get a larger size.
Vegan Food Pyramid
from 1522 votesMost baby products on the shelves, even in natural food stores, are riddled with not only animal products (such as beeswax and lanolin, which comes from the glands of sheep) but also harsh chemicals. So much for “as gentle to the eyes as pure water”, huh?
Before putting any product on your child, or yourself for that matter, you may want to check it out at CosmeticsDatabase.com, a site by the Environmental Working Group which “pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases”. It’s a handy way to find out exactly what ingredients are in the products you’re using and what purpose they serve. The toxicity scale from 0-10 is a good way to assess a product quickly, but you may want to read a little deeper before you make your final judgement. For instance, a product may be rated a 5 because the aloe in it wasn’t organic, but to most that’s a far more acceptable risk than using a product rated a 4 because it contains a known neurotoxin.
One way to know for sure what’s in your kiddie’s products is to make them yourself. If you’re not so inclined (Or you’re like me and always mess homemade things up) all products by MiraLucky and The Merry Hempsters are vegan, and all but 2 products by California Baby are as well. Dr. Bronner’s makes a wonderful vegan baby soap that will not only leave your child’s skin supersoft (No need for additional lotion), but will last far longer than a normal bottle of baby bath.
from 1582 votesAll right, it’s the holidays or a special occasion and you want to get your vegan friend/spouse/family member/partner a gift. Where do you start?
Allison’s Gourmet: Vegan fudge, cups & bark, and chocolates
Cafe Press: Vegan messaged T-shirts, hoodies, bumper stickers and more
Chocolate Decadence: Vegan chocolates and sweets gift baskets
Didi’s Baking for Health: Healthy Snacks and Sweets Gift Boxes
A Different Daisy: Vegan gifts of every kind
Garuda International: Vegan chocolates, cookies, sweets, and gift baskets
The Sensitive Baker: Local bakery in Los Angeles that is completely Gluten Free and also makes vegan goodies
Vegan Divine: Conscious Gift Giving: Amazing diversity of vegan gifts for every occasion.
The Vegan Store: Gift baskets, chocolates, candles and more.
from 1758 votesWe’re in luck! More and more companies are making and selling non-leather items that are traditionally made of leather. Below are a list of companies to check out:
Mooshoes - MooShoes carries a variety of vegan shoes with styles that range from casual to dress. They also offer belts, wallets, purses, cosmetics and more. If you sign up for their newsletter you can get 5% to 10% off your order. I’ve also had very good customer service with MooShoes when I’ve placed orders.
Bizrate - Bizate is a comparison shopping site. They have a wealth of vegan products where you can also find shoes, clothing, wallets and more.
Amazon
For other options that offer a wealth of vegan products with a more Mom & Pop feel, you can visit these sites:
The Vegan Store
Alternative Outfitters Vegan Boutique
Humanitaire
from 1489 votesI spent half of my childhood in North Dakota which is an agricultural state. My great uncle had one of the largest cattle ranches in North Dakota and our family friends were dairy farmers.
I’ve always been sensitive to animal treatment but as a child the situations I saw with my great uncle’s ranch and our friend’s dairy farm were as ideal as they could be. I used to think, “Well, if the cows will be killed or used for their milk, at least they have a good life until the point of death.” I thought this because my great uncle had land as far as the eye could see and the cattle were able to roam over 10 or more square miles. The dairy farming friends would bring a cow forward, get her milk, and then let her roam their land for the rest of the day. Not too bad.
Now, however, since small farms have been beaten out by large meat producing corporations, it is customary to see cattle ranches where the cattle live on dirt, are packed shoulder to shoulder, and are treated abhorrently. Calves are kept in small crates, unable to even turnaround, to ensure their meat is tender.* Similar unthinkable and brutal treatment is used with other animals.
Of course, any raising of cattle or other animals for human consumption has some brutality involved but the abuses have become so profound, it’s outrageous there is not a larger outcry from the public.
Not only do animals suffer incredibly, this also impacts the quality of the meat. Animals have infections; are infused with antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals; are fed items such as sawdust, plastic, tallow, grease, cement dust* or even themselves! (aka the cause of the rapid spread of mad cow disease). In the food chain, this gets transferred to humans. Again, why do people wonder why our society is so disease ridden? “You are what you eat” needs to be taken seriously.
Below is a video, narrated by Alec Baldwin, called “Meet Your Meat”. It does contain graphic content so be aware of this. However, it does introduce you to the conditions that animals are raised in for human consumption.
If you are not able to see the video or don’t want to view the video but learn more, you can go to the following links to get information on how meat is made and delivered to your table.
Go Veg -http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming.asp
Peta - http://www.peta.org/
Animal Freedom - http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/information/abuses.html
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*Excerpt from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine - www.veganfusion.com
from 364 votes