But what about through entertainment, and specifically theater? With around 16 million people attending the theater each year in the UK, could this be an untapped avenue for awakening people’s compassion through watching a theater show? It’s a unique concept and one that we have not really seen much of before. 

Plant Based News spoke with Patch Plays, a vegan theater company that is looking to break the mold and create thought-provoking plays that are vegan in nature but that would appeal to a wider audience. And that’s exactly what they are hoping to achieve with their newest production, Blood on Your Hands, showing at the Southwark Playhouse in Borough, London, from January 17 – February 3, 2024. 

Patch Plays is in its early days having been founded by Anastasia Bunce only four years ago, but it’s already achieved critical acclaim with Meat Cute, which told the story of a woman trying to veganize her Tinder dates. The show ran for a full month at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023. 

Slaughterhouse work: a hidden issue

Blood on Your Hands tackles a looming issue that is not often at the forefront of vegan discussions – the impact of the animal agriculture industry on the slaughterhouse workers themselves. The majority of these workers are migrants, or people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who are taking the jobs out of absolute necessity rather than choice. The play touches on themes such as the conditions for workers, the mental health issues that are created by such grueling work, the low pay, and the question around the necessity of this level of demand for animal-derived products. This production has been described as “sinister, moving and electric” by London Theatre Reviews.

We spoke to Anastasia Bunce, the director of the play and founder of Patch Plays, and Grace Joy Howarth, the writer of Blood on Your Hands. Both of them are vegan – Grace since birth and Anastasia for nine years. 

So what is the play actually about? Howarth says, in simple terms: “it’s a play about two slaughterhouse workers. These two men form a friendship in the break room of a slaughterhouse.” You could, she says, see it as a vegan story told through a “human lens”. Howarth and Bunce found that people tend to switch off when the story is “animal-focused.”

“What we see is that these two men are able to help each other survive this horrible workplace by being empathetic people,” says Bunce. Such a thread of empathy runs throughout the show, “as well as how important being compassionate is, which connects all human beings to veganism.”.

The rise of vegan media

With the recent release of the Chicken Run sequel earlier this month, a film that wasn’t necessarily vegan but that played on vegan themes, we asked if Blood on Your Hands was in a similar vein or intentionally vegan. “Yes, from my perspective as a writer, veganism was always the intention I went in with,” Howarth says. “To me, as a vegan, the idea of being a slaughterhouse worker is the least imaginable thing possible. So to find a voice that was so different to mine, but to spread the vegan message through it was something that I thought was an effective way of connecting with those who might ordinarily be put off.”

Both Howarth and Bunce did a lot of research for writing the play and to bring it alive as a theater show, which saw them interviewing slaughterhouse workers in the UK, watching footage of the slaughter process and trying to really come to terms with the conditions these workers are facing. According to Howarth: “Obviously, it’s a brutal line of work and there are lots of injuries on the job as well as lots of mental health issues – depression, anxiety and something called perpetrator induced traumatic stress which can cause a lot of nightmares. This is when someone feels like they’re being the perpetrator, not of a crime, but an action I guess. It can bring up that PTSD-like experience.” She also mentions that it’s the “most vulnerable” sections of society that are targeted to work in these facilities.

Exploitation of slaughterhouse workers

Bunce adds that there is a lot of exploitation due to this, with many being on “zero hour” or temporary contracts and very low pay. They also don’t have much stance or grounding to be able to fight for equal pay, due to their status as migrant workers. 

When asked if they thought people in the audience would be aware of the themes touched on in the play, Bunce says: “I don’t think most people know anything about what goes inside slaughterhouses, other than what happens to animals. But certainly not the extent of that and not the effects on the factory workers.” She continues: “Even when I’ve been talking to my friends about the show, they are shocked. So I think it will be a surprise.” Howarth adds that “if everyone knew so clearly how terrible it was, I think it would have an impact on sales.”

With a production like this, the question is: what message can audience members take away from seeing it? From Bunce’s perspective the key is that people begin to think about how their actions can impact people who are having to work in these factories. “Everyone wants to be a good person,” she says. “Everyone wants to be an empathetic human being. No one wants migrant workers to be exploited. I want people to take a moment to consider what they can do to be a part of that change.”

From Howarth’s perspective, she hopes it will “put a face to that very faceless profession.” She adds: “If you go into a shop, even for vegans, we don’t necessarily think about the worker who’s picking our fruit or the people who are packaging things. I want people to connect it to that and realize that there are people that are being exploited along every part of the food production system.” She says the play “humanizes that role,” and she hopes that audience members will be rooting for the two characters and feel empathy and compassion towards them and their very real and tangible struggles.

‘Creating a bit more compassion in the world’

The play is not consciously marketed as a vegan play in order to try and target a wider audience. People from all walks of life go to the theater to see thought-provoking shows, and Blood on Your Hands should be no different.

Howarth adds one final point: “We’re not expecting people to walk out 100 percent Vegan, but it’s just about spreading awareness, making it more well known to everyone and hopefully creating a bit more compassion in the world. That’s what we’re trying to do with it.”

Blood on Your Hands is opening at the Southwark Playhouse in Borough, London, on the January 17 until February 3. Any vegans who want to get their hands on a discounted ticket can use the code: VEGAN12.

TW: This production contains discussions around addiction, war, animal cruelty, and suicide. It also contains visual depictions of blood.

More like this:

• Netflix Documentary Tracking Identical Twins Inspires People To Ditch Meat
• New Film Explores The Human Impact Of North Carolina Pig Farms
• What Is ‘Christspiracy’? Inside The Film Everyone’s Talking About

The post New Play Explores The Lives Of Slaughterhouse Workers appeared first on Plant Based News.

Switching to a plant-based diet was a game-changing decision for Drew Harrisberg, who has lived with type 1 diabetes since the age of 22.

The exercise psychologist, sports scientist, and diabetes educator recently appeared on the Plant Based News podcast with Robbie Lockie.

Harrisberg transitioned to a plant-based diet five years ago, having previously tried using a ketogenic diet to manage his type 1 diabetes.

Swapping keto for a plant-based diet

After some initial positive results following a ketogenic diet, Harrisberg realized that his blood sugar level was still “far more variable” than he would have liked.

He decided to try a plant-based diet. “It was an eye-opening experiment,” he tells Lockie on the podcast. “Within a couple of weeks, my insulin sensitivity was back, my fasting blood glucose was fantastic.

“I was able to achieve equivalent flatline blood glucose levels throughout the day as I was on these lower carbohydrate diets… if not better!”

Research has shown that a plant-based diet can improve “insulin sensitivity and other health markers” in type 1 diabetics.

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body’s immune system attacks its own cells.

The disease causes the level of glucose in blood to become too high. This happens because the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin. As a result, anyone with type 1 diabetes needs to inject insulin.

The importance of exercise

Harrisberg describes the “amazing moment” when he discovered the massive impact exercise can have on blood glucose levels.

“I went to the gym and did a workout for an hour, I finished my workout and checked my blood glucose level and my glucose had gone back down basically into the normal range.

“I was able to essentially correct a high blood glucose level just by contracting my muscles!”

Harrisberg explains that, “when you contract your muscles the glucose gateway moves to the surface of the cell, which means it’s now open for glucose to enter from the bloodstream.”

Studies have shown the link between exercise and lower blood glucose levels, as well as boosts to the body’s sensitivity to insulin.

Frustration with conflicting online advice

“It’s very easy to demonize carbohydrates,” Harrisberg says, reflecting on the proliferation of what he believes to be outdated medical advice and misinformation.

In Harrisberg’s experience, replacing a diet high in saturated fats – which is mostly found in meat, eggs, dairy, animal foods – with unsaturated fats from plant sources such as avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds has helped improve his own insulin sensitivity.

Diabetes UK advises that people with type 1 diabetes should eat a balanced diet. It stresses the importance of eating fruit and vegetables rather than avoiding all carbs.

Even so, some health professionals still rely on the view that removing carbohydrates is the best way to manage diabetes.

Think beyond blood glucose

“A low-carb diet is very sexy and popular online,” Harrisberg says. But people with diabetes shouldn’t just be thinking about blood glucose.

Diabetes can come with increased risk of other health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. “Is a ketogenic diet helping you with all of those things or is it just helping with that one biomarker that you’re zooming in on?” Harrisberg says in the podcast.

A plant-based diet has been shown to have a whole array of benefits, in addition to helping control blood glucose levels. Research has shown a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and obesity, among many others.

“The best thing you can do for your health is to make the change yourself,” Harrisberg says. 

Carnivore diet is not evidence based

Elsewhere in the discussion, Harrisberg gives his views on the carnivore diet.

“It’s short sighted and it’s not evidence based,” he says, lamenting the growing number of influencers who champion the effects of eating a diet made up of 100% animal products.

“If you want quick fixes, anything can work short term,” Harrisberg says. In contrast, a significant number of scientific studies have proven a long-term link between meat consumption and worse health outcomes.

“A ground-up approach” to turning Australia vegan

Harrisberg also speaks about the challenges of changing values around meat in his native Australia.

“I grew up eating so much meat,” he explains in the podcast. “We have huge farming industries – dairy and beef – and I think that the government love to support these industries; for them it’s like national pride, it’s in our body, in our DNA.”

Can that be changed? “I think to convert the majority of the Australian population towards eating a more wholefoods, plant-based diet is an uphill battle,” he admits.

Even so, Harrisberg sees reasons for optimism. “Social media, Netflix, Gamechangers, those kinds of interventions definitely helped with messaging… it’s a ground-up approach.”

Masculinity should not be linked to meat eating

Switching to a plant-based diet in a meat-loving culture is not always simple. This can be especially true for men whose identity sometimes seems to be linked to devouring animal corpses.

Harrisberg is adamant though that this stereotype needs to be challenged. “What makes you a man is standing up for what you believe in despite what culture or social pressure or your friends or family or what the world thinks.

“Very quickly you realize you don’t need to eat animals to get protein or build muscle.”

Health, animals and the planet

In the podcast, Harrisberg also reflects on his love for animals.

“15 years ago, I would always have said that I loved animals but my actions would beg to differ since I was eating them at every meal.” 

Harrisberg has lived with a rescued dog for seven years and regularly shares photos of himself with animals on social media.

For Harrisberg, eating a plant-based diet “started as a journey into health.” Five years later, “it has evolved into something that is equal parts health, animals and the planet.”

Harrisberg is speaking of his own personal experience, and you should always consult with your doctor if you’re seeking personal advice on your health.

More like this:

• ‘Groundbreaking’ Studies Say Plant-Based Diets Rich In Carbs Can Improve Type 1 Diabetes
• ‘Masculine’ Labels Could Help Men Eat More Vegan Food
• Managing Cholesterol On A Plant-Based Diet – Everything You Need To Know

The post Why Drew Harrisberg Replaced Keto With Plant-Based After Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis appeared first on Plant Based News.

The renowned rapper is a native of Harlem – which is a part of New York City known for its legendary landmarks and experiences like The Harlem Renaissance, The Rucker Basketball Tournament, Sylvia’s Restaurant, The Apollo, and Shrine, among many others.

In an exclusive interview with Plant Based News (PBN) on the set of The Black Vegan Cooking Show, Jones shared insights into his journey towards a more conscious and healthy lifestyle, the power of food, and the importance of speaking up for change. 

An early love for fitness

Jones’ health and fitness journey started in his early years, fueled by his love for athletics. “I’ve been an athlete all my life,” he states, recalling his days of playing football and racing at a young age. He learned workout routines from friends who returned from school with newfound fitness knowledge.

“Growing up in Harlem most of my friends got in trouble and had to go away to school,” Jones says. “They would come back home from school all buff and they showed you how to work out.”

As he entered the music industry, Jones expanded his workout routine with the guidance of professional trainers, transitioning from bodyweight exercises to gym workouts. “A lot of my friends were going to school and coming home showing me how to do pull-ups as actual trainers, and I took that as an avenue to help them promote what they were doing,” he shares.

The power of food

Jones said that while he had never considered a fully plant-based diet in the past, he’s always been conscious about what he eats, and this has had a profound impact on his overall wellbeing. “I try to eat 50 percent better today than I did yesterday,” he says. 

“When I’m eating good, everything moves better for me,” he says, explaining that the heightened energy, mental clarity, and improved digestive health motivates him to prioritize conscious eating. “It helps you think better. Your brain is not foggy, like you’re just on a whole different mission. Your energy is up… you can feel it. So, it’s like, your body tells you when you need to start implementing certain things.”

This serves as a compelling testament to the importance of listening to and understanding our bodies. Indeed, our bodies can be seen as vessels that house our spirits. When we perceive our bodies as the (luxury) vehicles of our dreams, we naturally aspire to maintain them in optimal condition.

Jones acknowledged the power of making incremental changes towards a healthier lifestyle, and how food can be a tool in healing and repairing the body. If we indulge in “unhealthy” foods one day, we can counterbalance that by prioritizing nutrient-rich vegetables and teas in the following days, to flush out toxins and support our system. Consciousness and mindfulness play a pivotal role in ensuring the proper functionality of these “vehicles” for our wellbeing.

Education is key to healthful food choices

Despite the divide between access to health-conscious grocery options like Whole Foods and traditional supermarkets like Key Food in Harlem, Jones believes knowledge about the benefits of different foods is essential to healthier choices, regardless of the store one visits.

“You need the knowledge of what you need to put into your body. What foods are beneficial for you to live longer? What foods are beneficial to your body? That’s most important. And if you know that, then you could go to any supermarket – you could go inside the cornerstore and pick up some food that’s gonna be beneficial to your body,” he emphasizes.

One significant issue that stands out is the lack of educational nutritional outreach, particularly to the Black and Latino communities in the USA. These communities often face the detrimental effects of addictive foods abundant in high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, and excessive sugar. Comparatively, when I travel and observe the packaging of foods in Europe and Asia, it becomes evident that the USA has much ground to cover in educating the general public about healthier alternatives.

The basic options available are often laden with unnecessary additives and ingredients, which can be quite disheartening. There is a pressing need to prioritize comprehensive nutritional education to empower individuals to make informed and healthier choices.

Speaking up for change

It can be a slow and steady path of sharing information about nutrition and the impact of food — whether it’s through independent media coverage, movements like Black VegFest and Vegmama Salon, or new vegan food launches etc. — all while taking action to protect animals and the planet. 

So influential voices speaking up for change is key. Jones acknowledges the powerful intersection of Hip Hop culture and promoting healthier choices, and believes the Hip Hop community can help spread more awareness about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“We need people of influence to understand the benefits of knowing what a diet is. And I ain’t talking about dieting, I’m talking about… what you intake, what you put into your body,” Jones tells us.

Jones also expressed concern about harmful trends, such as the excessive consumption of substances like lean (codeine syrup). Again, he stressed the importance of influential figures speaking up and providing guidance to the youth, encouraging them to explore healthier lifestyles and make better choices.

“I’ve always been an advocate of telling these young youth of the right way to go and things that’s going to f**k their life up. I’m not trying to impose my will on anybody because I want us all to experience life, have fun, and take the road that we need to take,” Jones says. “But some of the roads you might not have to go down so far if you just listen to some of my words and listen to some of the things that I’m telling you. Influence is everything.”

He adds: “Any time you get through to one person, that’s one more person that we can add to the list that we’ve helped.”

‘The Black Vegan Cooking Show’

During the interview, Jones raved about his experience with Chef Charlise Rookwood aka VeganSoulicious on the set of The Black Vegan Cooking Show. “The food [by VeganSoulicious] was incredible. I won’t say this is my first vegan meal. I’ve eaten burgers from different spots but to sit here and watch it being cooked… from the beginning, not just seeing the end product… It was good as sh*t! I was surprised! It took me by surprise,” he says.

“I would have not eaten two of them sh*ts at all if this wasn’t good, like they ain’t paying me enough for that sh*t,” Jones remarks. Towards the end of filming he enthusiastically proposed that VeganSoulicious take on the challenge of creating a vegan chopped cheese – a NYC staple that holds a special place in the hearts of Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan residents (much like “Philly cheesesteaks” are to Philadelphia).

The anticipation of witnessing Jim and VeganSoulicious team up to remix this iconic cornerstore meal into a plant-based version has me absolutely geeked for a new episode! Stay tuned to find out if VeganSoulicious makes it happen. 

You can watch The Black Vegan Cooking Show ft. Jim Jones below this article, or on YouTube. Watch more episodes of The Black Vegan Cooking Show right here.

The post Hip Hop’s Jim Jones Gets Real About Food And Advocacy For ‘The Black Vegan Cooking Show’ appeared first on Plant Based News.

One of these is Katya Gorbacheva, a nationally qualified powerlifter who has bench pressed 85.7 kg (193 lb), squatted 165 kg, and deadlifted 182.5 kg. Katya resides in North Carolina, and competes with the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt Team. The Vegan Strong PlantBuilt Team is made up entirely of plant-based athletes, and they all competed in Mr America in Atlantic City last year. 

Gorbacheva also runs her own coaching company named TotalBodyLab. It sees a team of elite powerlifters help plant-based athletes succeed in competitive sports and personal wellness goals. She says that the company combines her three passions – fit tech, athletic performance coaching, and environmentalism.

Here, she speaks to Plant Based News about her daily diet, favorite protein sources, and journey towards veganism. 

A daily diet as a vegan athlete

Much of the population mistakenly believes that meat-free diets are lacking in protein, but vegan athletes like Gorbacheva are proving them wrong. She maintains she gets more than enough by eating plant-based sources like tofu, seitan, and vegan meat alternatives. She also ensures to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and grains each day. 

“My day often starts with oatmeal with flax seeds, TVP, berries, or baked apple,” she says. “Definitely not a fan of smoothies or salads – I prefer rich food with plenty of flavor. When I’m lazy I’ll just throw halved veggies on the tray (onions, zucchini, eggplant, squash) and bake with seitan (my signature recipe is here). Buckwheat is another staple since childhood – since I’m Russian-Ukrainian.”

For dinner, Gorbacheva enjoys a “big hot plate” of veggies, plant-based meat or tofu, complete with some grain and vegan cheese or nutritional yeast (also known as nooch). She finishes off her meal with vegan ice cream with puffed quinoa.

Despite the fact that many people believe vegans are weak and unfit, Gorbacheva’s plant-based diet is enough to fuel her strict training regime. She enjoys hiking and walking cardio with her dog daily, bench presses on three-four days a week, and squats once or twice a week. She also deadlifts around once every 10 days. 

Katya’s vegan journey

Gorbacheva decided to go vegan after experiencing health issues related to animal products. During a routine blood test at work when she was just 23, her LDL cholesterol (sometimes known as “bad” cholesterol) indicated “borderline heart disease.”

“It was a shock, truly,” she says. “I tried to eat ‘clean’, cooked my own meals instead of going out most of the time, and ran and lifted weights regularly.”

After watching plant-based health documentaries like What The Health and Forks Over Knives, she decided to give vegan eating a try. After eight weeks, her cholesterol had dropped three fold. “It took me longer to go 100 percent vegan,” she says. “However, blood work and how my body felt made it clear – animal foods are not good for a human body.”

Since adopting a fully vegan diet, her decision has become about more than just health. “I’m also a huge environmentalist, and the ethical part makes sense,” she says. “I wouldn’t eat my dog. Why would I eat a pig? Why would anyone?”

The post ‘I’m Vegan And A Nationally Qualified Powerlifter – Here’s What I Eat In A Day’ appeared first on Plant Based News.

We know what you’re thinking: Who needs another plant protein powder in a market full of them? We thought the same thing, but because Wilks, a former professional fighter, is known to do his homework, study the science and come up with innovative ideas that no one else has pulled together in quite the same way, we were intrigued.

It took two years to launch FYTA, which is made from a proprietary blend of whole foods, including upcycled barley and lupini beans, meaning it is “more soluble, absorbs quicker, and brings out your inner fighter,” he says. “Everyone is fighting for something.”

In an exclusive interview with Plant Based News, Wilks was extremely convincing on the subject of FYTA’s benefits to humans, the planet, and its unique value proposition, all of which set it apart in a crowded field. “I never could find a protein powder that fit all the criteria that we learned about while making The Game Changers,” Wilks tells us. “So I created one.” 

When Wilks created FYTA (which sounds like “fighter” with a British accent), his goal was to create the most sustainable, healthy, clean protein source for vegans and plant-based athletes that delivers 30 grams of protein per serving. The result is a powder that dissolves easily into coffee, oatmeal, or a glass of ice cold plant-based milk.

Made from Upcycled Barley

FYTA is not made from the usual ingredients such as pea protein, but instead uses upcycled barley, making it arguably the most environmentally friendly of the category, Wilks explains.

“In that hunt for the optimal protein source, when I came across upcycled barley, which is the primary protein, that was it. Barley was the food of the Gladiators, as you might remember, from The Game Changers.” 

Wilks explained that the formula was all important in creating FYTA. They use barley, lupini beans (which has one of the highest protein profiles of any plant) and other whole foods to deliver three grams of fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants as well as all nine essential amino acids. 

He wanted a protein that was sustainable, had all nine amino acids and could dissolve easily, he explained. “The barley in FYTA is a sprouted ancient grain and we’ve combined that in a proprietary blend that also delivers three grams of plant based fiber,” Wilks adds.

“The thing that really blew me away was the solubility of this protein,” Wilks says. “Which means you can mix it with water or plant-based milk like you would any other protein powder, but it goes places that other protein can’t go, such as coffee! You can’t do that with any other plant protein I’m aware of. You can’t even do that with whey protein. Because it’s chalky.

“So, right now, I’ve got 30 grams of protein in my coffee, and it just virtually disappears.” 

FYTA has 30 grams of protein per two scoop serving and dissolves easily into coffee, oatmeal, smoothies or other drinks, and is designed to absorb quickly into the body, to help muscles recover faster and build lean body mass.

“Anyone who is training or trying to lose weight, or when you’re over 45, you need more protein, to maintain muscle,” Wilks says. He uses the powder throughout the day and encourages anyone who is concerned about protein to make sure they get protein at every meal or snack.

He’s heard from fans who have baked FYTA into cookies to add a boost of protein to their baked goods, and suggests that adding FYTA to the batter is a way to make healthier brownie bites.

An environmentally clean protein powder

Because FYTA is made from upcycled barley, essentially the parts of the plant that are not used in making beer, it uses less water, land, and CO2 resources to create than other protein powders on the market, Wilks says. 

Other companies may use added sugar or fat, whereas FYTA is sweetened with monk fruit and meets all the recommendations for heart health set out by the American Heart Association.

”Our flagship products have less than 10 percent of calories coming from saturated fat.”

Whereas others use crops grown in countries and places that allow pesticides, heavy metals, and other impurities to creep into the soil. His barley is sourced from crops grown in the breadbasket of the US and are non-GMO and grown with the same standards used for baby formula.

“It’s been two years in the making to get this to where it’s at,” Wilks says, “But obviously there’s a lot of pre-work that we’ve done before that understanding, health and nutrition in the plant-based place.”

His next baby is a long-awaited sequel to The Game Changers, which he also expects to take two years to make. “We aren’t going to just make the same exact story again,” he says. This one will be completely fresh. Wilks explained that it takes time to get things right, but the new film will be worth the wait.

Where to buy FYTA protein powder

FYTA comes in three flavors: Creamy Chocolate, Caramel Vanilla and Cafe Latte. Currently FYTA is only sold online and shipping is limited to the US but Wilks is hoping to change that and expand to the UK, Australia and other countries as soon as production allows. The powder costs $39 per bag, has 14 servings, but you can choose to use one scoop instead of two and get 15 grams of protein in your coffee.

The experts behind FYTA

Along with working with a number of world-class sports dietitians and food scientists, Wilks enlisted a team of nutritionists and doctors to help work on the FȲTA  team to help guide ingredient selection and product formulation. They include:

• Chief Nutrition Officer TJ Waterfall MSc, RNutr
• Chief Health Officer Amanda Brown-Tortorici, PhD, MS, RD, CSCS
• Chief Medical Officer Angie Sadeghi, MD
• Chief Sustainability Officer Sarah Elizabeth Nájera Espinosa PhD(c), MSc

More like this:

• An Honest Review: The Best Vegan Protein Powders In The UK
• The 15 Best Plant-Based Protein Sources For Vegans
• Can You Build Muscle With Plant-Based Protein?

The post James Wilks Of ‘The Game Changers’ Launches FYTA, Performance Protein Powder appeared first on Plant Based News.

They had been suffering from alopecia on and off for most of their lives. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that’s considered to be incurable in the medical community. “We had just graduated from college, all is well in life, and I woke up with a patch on my head,” Jordan tells Plant Based News. “I go to see different dermatologists, different barbers, who say I’m stressed. But I’m moving to San Diego, I’ve just graduated from college, I have a job lined up, I’m very happy. I really believed that it wasn’t due to stress and I knew there had to be a cure.”

They had recently watched films What The Health and Forks Over Knives, which both explore the impact of plant-based diets in disease reversal. Like many people they were skeptical of veganism, due to preconceived ideas of what the lifestyle entails. “I thought a plant-based diet was for people who did yoga from Oregon,” says Jeremy. “I thought I was only going to eat salads… I didn’t want to be a rabbit eating vegetables all day every day.”

Reversing disease on a vegan diet

Despite their reservations, they decided to give plant-based eating a try. Jordan went down a route that he describes as “cold turkey,” adopting a whole foods plant-based diet overnight. In just a few days, he says, his hair was returning. 

“It was crazy,” he says. “Within days I saw the hair follicles growing in. Within weeks all of it had grown back.”

The foods he says helped reverse his alopecia consisted largely of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. “I was the smoothie king,” he says. “Lots of berries. I heard that you definitely want to focus on dark leafy vegetables, dark fruits, the darker the color the better. So a lot of kale, a lot of cherries, a lot of spinach, also a lot of nuts, some nut butters as well. But I try to stay as whole food plant-based as possible. Heavy quinoa, couscous, broccoli, spinach, and asparagus.”

Jeremy’s plant-based transition was more gradual. “I loved soul food, the food that my family grew up cooking and that I grew up on. I can’t just leave fried chicken behind, I love that, so how can I replace it with something thats’s vegan?”

After seeing Jordan’s transformation, however, he was inspired to follow in his footsteps. Rather than immediately switching to a whole foods diet, he eased himself in with vegan meats and other alternatives. While his hair grew back slower than Jordan’s did, he was able to adapt to different foods more easily.

“I was trying everything that could mimic a real animal product,” he says. “But then from there that kind of led me into being able to eat a bowl with tempeh and asparagus and the leafy greens. So I just made a ton of stir-fries. I still do that today.”

Jeremy points out that there’s no need to eliminate the foods you love to enjoy a healthy plant-based lifestyle. He started his journey by eating vegan versions of the foods he’d always enjoyed, including burritos and tacos. 

“I would just go to the different Mexican shops,” he says. “That was where I was getting alot of my beans, rice, get some fajita vegetables. I was like ‘Oh I can do this if I can eat Mexican food, if I can still eat out, and not feel like a loner, I can still go out with my friends.’”

All Love No Beef

Since starting out their journey, Jordan and Jeremy have become well-known advocates for the plant-based lifestyle. They set up a platform called All Love No Beef in 2020, which aims to educate the public about the benefits of healthy eating. 

“[At that time] there was just a lot of turmoil going on, at least here in the United States,” says Jeremy. “Centered around Black Lives Matter movement, things of that nature, people fighting for food equality. We saw that there was a lot of animosity, hostility, and we decided it would be a great time to introduce a slogan or a brand. It started off as a slogan: All Love No Beef. It led to us putting it on t-shirts, and it just took off from there. It was more of a conversation starter. Positive healthy dialogue with different people.”

A certified plant-based nutrition coach, he also focuses on spreading awareness about the link between vegan eating and disease prevention.

“You don’t have to take a bunch of medicine and prescriptions and prescribed drugs to treat disease,” he says. You can also treat it through nutrition and through food.”

Find out more about All Love No Beef on their website.

The post ‘We Reversed Alopecia On Plant-Based Diets – Here’s What We Ate’ appeared first on Plant Based News.

King-Sonnen moved into the Sonnen Ranch in 2009. Almost immediately, she “fell in love” with the cows. She gave them names, and would regularly talk and sing to them. She started bottle feeding Rowdy Girl in 2010, and taking care of the calf helped her see the rest of the cows through a new lens. But these cows were being raised to be sold for slaughter, and she started feeling “haunted” by seeing them carted off in trailers.

Everything changed one day in 2014. She watched Dr Melanie Joy’s video on carnism, and for the first time saw a plate of meat as chopped up dead animals. “I went vegan on that very day,” she tells Plant Based News (PBN). “And that decision propelled me forward with great enthusiasm, passion and determination to convert our working cattle ranch into a farm sanctuary.”

The transition

Tommy agreed to put an end to the business, and suggested selling off the remaining cows and winding down. Renee, however, offered to buy the cows from him so she could set up a sanctuary. 

She then set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money, which was funded by May 2015. Four years later, they moved to a new location in Waelder, Texas, after the ranch was affected by three flood events. 

Now, the sanctuary is home to more than 130 farm animals, who have all been rescued from slaughter. As well as cows, they have chickens, horses, ducks, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, and a turkey named Sealy.

“My transition to a farm sanctuary was my soul-felt passion as I went vegan for the animals and became a force to be reckoned with by my husband,” she tells PBN. “I was determined to save the cows from going to slaughter and to figure out how to create a non-profit out of what was once a Texas cattle ranch.”

Changing mindset

Her husband Tommy has since gone vegan, but he found the transition “more difficult” than her due in part to the fact he was raised around animal agriculture. 

She advises anyone else considering transforming their farms away from animals to ensure they have the passion, as well as financial means, to do so. 

“The transition to a different way of life can be costly and daunting without private funding or government support which the United States is seriously lacking,” she says. “All that said, if a cattle rancher goes vegan for the animals I believe they will find a way because once you see who you are killing you can never participate in the business of killing animals for a living again.”

The story of Rowdy Girl was recently depicted in a film of the same name directed by Jason Goldman. It premiered at the Hot Docs Film Festival. For more information on the film and Renee’s work please visit the Rowdy Girl website. 

The post Why This Texas Beef Cattle Ranch Transformed Into A Vegan Sanctuary appeared first on Plant Based News.

Since that day, Heiligtag has helped 125 farms in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany move away from animals. She calls this process a “transfarmation.” Animals will either be moved to sanctuaries, or remain and allowed to live out their natural lives in peace. The new farms will always be entirely vegan. 

Farmers mostly get in contact after experiencing the guilt that sometimes comes with their line of work. “They suffer because of what they have to do to animals,” she says. “It can be that they have been suffering for years and years and years and didn’t see a way out, but it can also happen that they look into one animal’s eyes and suddenly realize there’s someone behind these eyes.”

The transfarmation

A transfarmation usually begins with a phone call. Heiligtag will find out as much information as possible about the farm and its potential to be changed. She’ll then visit the farm and check out the surroundings, find out their situation, and look into whether they’ll need financial support. “We talk about what they would want to do if they were completely free without boundaries,” she says. “Do they have any ideas of what they could do? And some do. Some really have dreams.”

The farms will adopt plant-based farming methods, often adapting to grow oats, chickpeas, lentils, fruit, and legumes. Farms like these help the Swiss population to eat more local plant foods, as these tend to be imported into the country. Some farms will also open sanctuaries and invite schools to visit and learn about the transfarmation process, while others will host B&Bs on their premises. 

‘A new normal’

Heiligtag is a long-term vegan and animal rights activist, and spent years doing undercover work in slaughterhouses before helping farms transfarm. “I really wanted to fight the system and stop it until I realized it probably will break me because it was so horrible, what I saw every day,” she says. Transfarmations are, for Heiligtag, a new form of activism that sees her change, rather than go against, the agricultural system. “I had this dream to work for a new normal. Not only against what’s happening, but also to show that it’s possible to be different, that we can do something for a peaceful world.”

Heiligtag will help any animal farm with potential to be transfarmed, and has worked with those housing pigs, dairy cows, chickens, and more. She will only, however, work with farmers prepared to move away from livestock completely. “I get asked a lot if I would help reduce the animals a little bit, or change them from cows to sheep, and I clearly say no,” she says. “For me change is really about getting out of animal agriculture completely. So the end and the future is always vegan agriculture.”

The myth of ‘good’ animal farms

Switzerland, where Heiligtag works, has among the best “animal welfare” laws in the world. She also often works with small and family-run farms, those the general public often deem as “good” (as opposed to “bad” factory farms). This means that, by anyone’s logic, the animal farms she transfarms would be among the best and most ethical in the world.

Why, then, are their owners carrying so much guilt?

“It’s not possible to produce animal products without exploiting animals,” she says. “Even those that look beautiful, even those that you think are typical Heidi Swiss farms, they still have to produce milk. You have to separate the calf from the mom. It’s a long ongoing suffering. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hundred cows or a thousand cows. It’s always horrible and it’s always really, really painful for the animals.”

Challenges of transfarmations

While she has successfully helped a huge number of farmers, not every farm that wants to has potential to be transfarmed. “The difficult thing for me is when I know I can’t rescue all of these animals that I see,” she says. “If I’m not sure if this farm is really ready for change, and I see all these animals looking at me. As soon as I see an animal I feel like I want to help, and leaving them behind is very hard.”

The global vegan movement is growing, bringing with it calls around the world for farmers to adapt and adopt animal-free methods. While many farmers are open and receptive to change, some have responded to changing attitudes with a fresh – and sometimes dangerous – determination to maintain the status quo. “There have been moments where there has been a lot of aggression,” says Heiligtag. “For example by a dad who is against the changing of his son’s farm. It can get quite emotional or even violent. I have to set my boundaries, and work out if I should go there or not. Once a farmer explicitly killed an animal in front of my eyes to show me that he’s the winner. So I see stuff that kind of haunts me sometimes, but that’s just part of it.” 

Heiligtag says, however, that such aggressive behavior is rare. “In general, I try to be kind, to understand everyone. I don’t want to harm anybody, I just want to stop animal suffering, and that’s what I try to say. I’m not going to places to say ‘you need to change,’ but if someone calls me, I’m going there.”

Challenges for farmers

The biggest boundary for those hoping to transfarm, says Heiligtag, is the social environment they live in, as well as potential judgment from other farmers. “Being brave enough to stand there and say ‘yes I’m changing,’ despite what everyone will say.”

The beginning of the transfarmation tends to be the hardest part, when farmers are, as Heiligtag puts it, no longer “in the club” with their colleagues. “But once they see that it’s actually working this changes,” she says. “Now the whole farm looks much more beautiful, and people come and say ‘wow, what you’re doing here is brilliant.’”

The post A ‘Transfarmation’: Meet The Woman Helping Animal Farms Turn Vegan appeared first on Plant Based News.

Yee recently appeared on the Black Vegan Cooking Show with Chef Charlise Rookwood. The episode was to celebrate Black Women’s History Month, and the two cooked up a range of vegan dishes. This included Buffalo cauliflower and zucchini, banana blossom “FISH FRY,” and vegan bread pudding.

Plant Based News writer MeccaGodZilla went behind the scenes at the shoot and interviewed Yee about plant-based living and her career.

Find the interview below…

MeccaGodZilla:

Angela, as somebody that’s been involved in the Hip Hop and R&B community for many years, how do you see the intersection of plant-based living and Hip Hop culture? And what role do you think artists can play in promoting a healthier lifestyle?

Angela Yee:

I think so many people watch what artists are doing. So when they can live a certain lifestyle and organically promote it, people really will follow and believe that. We see NLE Choppa and what he’s doing with his lifestyle, being vegan and having the truck and all of that… Styles P with the juice bars and the pharmacy… even when we opened Juices for Life at first, I remember Common coming through. We see Jeezy and how much he slimmed down and paid attention to what he’s eating. And I just think that it’s something for other people to pay attention to. Because the earlier you start practicing healthy habits, the better it will be for you in the long run.

We’ve seen a lot of people just look healthier, younger, and feel better.  We’ve seen people who’ve had health issues, and we’ve seen people in our community die from health issues. So it’s just really important to make sure that we push these healthy habits.

A lot of times where we grow up can dictate the type of foods that we eat. We talk about food deserts, we talk about on every corner having a burger and wing spot and liquor stores and all of that, but it’s just as important to have those healthy options. I think if you seek out certain things, you can find it. I feel like there’s a lot more access now than there’s ever been. A lot more people are talking about it. And I love it.

Watch the Black Vegan Cooking Show episode here

MeccaGodZilla:

You’re one of the co-owners of Juices for Life, and your juice bars offer a variety of healthy and nutritious drinks. How do you see this business fitting into the larger plant-based movement or larger health movement? And what impact do you hope that it has on our community?

Angela Yee:

My first business was opening up the Juices for Life in Brooklyn. I also have a fresh juice company, too, Drink Fresh Juice, and then the coffee shop.

In the coffee shop, what has been important for me is just having a lot of vegan offerings in the coffee shop. And I also know in the community it’s important for people to try different things.

I know people who don’t do vegan, that word is scary to them because they think it’s nasty. And so, even having the juice bar for people to realize that these juices are delicious. Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it tastes bad. It can be healthy and taste amazing. And that’s the main thing that I wanna push to people… that things can taste great but also be beneficial for your body.

A lot of the businesses that I do with the press juices that I have… people are like, “oh, this is really good!” or “oh, I never used to like beets but I like your beet ginger aid – I didn’t know beets could taste like this!” I just want people to expand their palate just like I’ve done. And I know because I’ve been there too, where I’m like, “oh, I’m not having that. I’m not eating that…” You know, some people think it’s nasty to put kale or spinach in a drink or even celery. But they don’t know the combinations of things you can put with that so that it all can taste really good.

The evolution of vegan food

MeccaGodZilla:

That’s really dope. I love to hear that! Just on a personal level, I know from my own juices and smoothies that you can mask the taste of spinach and kale. So I gotta ask, because even on the Black Vegan Cooking Show with Chef Charlise (@Vegansoulicious), like you said, you’ve been vegan before for short periods of time. So during those periods, what were you “go to” foods?

Angela Yee:

Well, I love quinoa. I never used to like it until I did the detox that I did. Also, I love zucchini and I like squash. Those are some of what I enjoy… I love a veggie stir fry, you know, and so if I can make my own, I make my veggie stir fry and put that over some quinoa. Sauces are important to me. I love a good dipping sauce, I just had the vegan mayonnaise. I never do mayonnaise period, but that didn’t taste bad. 

MeccaGodZilla:

Oh that’s good, come on over to our side haha. OK, in your opinion, because the era that we came from… vegan food wasn’t necessarily the tastiest and we’ve watched it evolve over time. You know what I’m saying? In the past, it was not on point at all (at least it wasn’t clear how to make the foods taste as amazing as they do today). So was there anything that you’ve seen or wanted to try that was either super delicious, or is there any foods that you’ve seen nowadays that are kind of innovative to where you wanna try it?

Angela Yee:

I used to work for Wu-Tang Clan, a lot of them were very into vegan items, but I remember some of the stuff was nasty. Like vegan bologna, they had vegan pastrami. And even I feel like when vegan bacon first came out, it was kind of nasty and cardboard-ish, but I feel like that’s evolved so much. I also know that processed food in general is not always the best for you. You’re just doing it because you want to have an option that’s not meat, and that’s fine. I try not to overdo it. I’ve never done a vegan chili. I know people love that.

MeccaGodZilla:

Wow, a vegan chili sounds amazing. Nice! Ok, so last question. What message would you like to send to your fans and followers about the importance of healthy living plant-based living? And how do you see plant-based living fitting into larger issues of health, wellness, and sustainability? You kinda answered that earlier, but just kind of wrapping that up. What would you like to say to your fans?

Angela Yee:

I feel that just seeing the effects the pandemic had on so many people and how it disproportionately affected certain people who had health issues. And a lot of times that was us. So, just making sure that you take care of your health and pay attention to it early on. And making sure you go to the doctor and get checked out. I found out I had really high cholesterol when I was younger, and went to the doctor really early. And thank God I found out when I did, but it’s so important to get your blood work done, make sure you know what’s going on with your body.

And so I just think all of those things matter. I think that if you have a family, you wanna take care of your family and part of that is taking care of yourself. And so, the worst feeling would be if you have children or you have loved ones around you… and now you have all of these health issues that you could have prevented if you took better care of yourself. 

That’s an important thing to think about. We care so much about what we look like on the outside and we really have to pay a lot of attention to what our insides are like too. It’s probably even more important than anything and then just the way that it makes you feel. 

I just know when I eat I’m not supposed to be exhausted afterwards or have “the itis”, or I feel like I don’t wanna do anything. You’re supposed to eat and feel great after. And a lot of that is based on the type of food that we eat. Also not overeating – a lot of times you feel like you have to finish what’s on your plate. When we go to restaurants, they give you these huge meals. You don’t have to eat everything. What I started to do was take half of it home as soon as I sit down and wrap half of the meal up and I eat half of it there. There’s just small things that you can do. You don’t have to be perfect and it’s ok not to be, but just make some really conscious, intentional decisions until they become a habit.

Follow Angela Yee and her companies:

Angela Yee (@angelayee)

Drink Fresh Juice (@drinkfreshjuice) 

Coffee Uplifts People (CUP) (@coffeeupliftspeople)

The post Interview: Angela Yee Discusses Plant-Based Living And Her Favorite Vegan Meals appeared first on Plant Based News.

Vegmama Salon is a vegan group founded by Yumi Koshigai Powell (@Veg_Yummy of Veg Life Design LLC.). She wanted to create a community that would focus and support Japanese mothers who are interested in learning about and practicing a plant-based lifestyle while raising their kids.

After completing T. Colin Campbell’s “Plant Based Nutrition Course,” Yumi had trouble finding vegan communities geared towards people whose first language is Japanese. Seeing this type of void within our vegan community, she decided to become the conduit of providing camaraderie and a support system for Japanese moms who might feel anxious, curious, hesitant, or even overwhelmed about the idea and possibility of becoming vegan in Japan (and beyond). 

Conceptualized six months after having her second child, Yumi decided to start by sharing her knowledge on the Vegmama Salon Instagram account.

Enter… Natsuko Bosaka

Yumi (who currently resides in Colorado) met Natsuko @PlantNats through social media. Natsuko, a mother of two (who also is a graduate of T. Colin Campbell’s “Plant Based Nutrition Course” via e-Cornell University), was searching for a plant-based Japanese mom in NYC and started her own plant-based account. 

Natsuko is committed to not only veganizing Japanese food but also making it fun and appealing for her kids to enjoy at lunchtime amongst their peers at school.

Introduced through a mutual friend, both women totally hit it off after a Zoom chat. Inspired by synergy and a vision of making vegan knowledge more available to Japanese parents, Yumi and Natsuko agreed to put more time and energy into expanding the presence of Vegmama Salon. As a support member of Vegmama, Natsuko gives lectures on various topics including classes geared towards kids.

Who are Vegmama Salon?

Vegmama Salon is a subscription-based private group that meets six to eight times a month (on Zoom). The group’s aim is to create a safe and encouraging space online for Japanese mothers who want to learn more about their food choices. And ultimately, pivot into a vegan lifestyle, which can benefit the environment, health, wellness, animal welfare, and more. 

The Zoom meetings include cooking lessons, yoga, and Q&A sessions all centered around transitioning into a vegan lifestyle. There’s also the nutrition-focused Vegmama Academy, for members wanting to improve their health and quality of life. In addition, special guest speakers, reiki sessions, healing sessions, and cleaning tips. Past guests include:

• professional vegan chef Yukari Mitsushita
• plant based food Master Mako Matsuda
• plant based doctor Harue Suzuki 
• vegan child activist Ao
• and vegan activist @Still A Vegan

Members are able to watch archives at any time via the Vegmama Salon Youtube channel. The videos are unlisted archives that are shared privately with the Vegmama Salon members. To date, the Vegmama Salon has 60 active members in Japan, the USA, Singapore, and Europe.

Together, the group recently tried something new.

Enter… the Potekoro Project

As we all know, veganism places a strong emphasis on animal liberation, protection, and welfare. In a move that defies convention and fully embraces veganism, Yumi created the Cowpassion NPO jumpstart The Potekoro Project – a cow rescue initiative.

This Potekoro Project began in January 2022. This is when Yumi teamed up with a Vegmama Salon member who was in charge of a dairy farm. Together, they aimed to transform the dairy farm into a cow sanctuary. They started by supporting Potekoro, a retired dairy cow set to be sold to a market in Hokkaido, Japan.

Yumi helped fund Potekoro’s feeding cost to try and protect her. The original plan was to rescue Potekoro, and gradually take in more and more cows who needed homes. And eventually, transition the dairy farm into an actual cow sanctuary. Unfortunately, due to the struggling Japanese dairy industry, Potekoro’s caretakers had to close their facility at the end of 2022. This resulted in Yumi’s inspired action to leverage the power of social media and the internet to connect with Animal Rights Center Japan to assist in quickly finding a new home for Potekoro.

Enter… Ms. Tani of Moo Mow Garden.

Sustainable co-prosperous farming

Animal Rights Center Japan introduced Yumi to Ms. Tani, the Director of Moo Mow Garden to assist.

Moo Mow Garden in Northern Japan, is a sanctuary for 11 cows who survived the devastating Tohoku earthquake of 2011. Ms. Tani discovered the resilience of cows after the tragic earthquake, as many quickly adapted to living in the wild. Sadly, the wild cows reside in areas that Japanese citizens were not allowed in after the devastating natural disaster.

Empathetic to the cows’ plight, Ms. Tani committed to the challenge of caring for the cows who were sadly victims of one of the toughest tragedies we have seen in recent times. 

Ms. Tani decided to create an animal co-prosperous farming plan in which cows can survive by consuming natural vegetation in abandoned farmlands. In return, the cows naturally fertilize the land. This allows for vegetables and fruits to grow back and be easily harvested by people relying on natural farming methods.

Fully activated, this cost-effective animal co-prosperous farming plan now fosters significant environmental conservation benefits. Chiefly due to the mutually beneficial relationship between the land, cows, and people.

Fully aware of Ms. Tani’s expertise in this area, Yumi coordinated with transferring Potekoro into Ms. Tani’s care who, in turn, found a brand new location for Potekoro to live. Realizing that cows can be very communal and that Potekoro would eventually become lonely, Ms. Tani worked with Yumi to coordinate the relocation of Potekoro’s old friend (Bun) from the old dairy farm to the new location.

Today, both Potekoro and Bun live together under Ms. Tani’s care.

‘One animal at a time’

To quote the women of The Potekoro Project: 

“We believe that many people wish for animals to live fulfilling lives. Across the world, more and more animal farmers are transitioning their businesses, and the number of farm sanctuaries is increasing. In Japan, there are still very few places that can take care of large animals, and a drastic change may not be possible right away.

“But if we can, we will rescue one animal at a time. In this way, we will continue to take steps towards coexisting with animals.” 

These women are gently challenging the status quo of Japan and demonstrating that there is a better way to live in harmony with nature. The Potekoro Project is a trailblazing initiative that is the first of its kind in Japan, and it is a beacon of hope for a future where animal sanctuaries are the norm. And, all animals are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. 

Unity in the vegan movement

Both the Vegmama Salon and The Potekoro Project are a testament to the transformative power of veganism and the importance of working together to create a more just world for all. My hope is that this story empowers us all to realize we too can jumpstart our own niche initiatives to have a bigger impact as vegans. 

I sincerely appreciate the courageous and motivating actions of Yumi, Natsuko, and Ms. Tani for living their lives in this capacity – their efforts are truly nothing short of phenomenal.

If you feel moved or inspired to support Potekoro and Bun, please visit The Potekoro Project’s website to learn more and/or make a donation. All donations will assist in the welfare of both cows.

The post Meet The Japanese Moms Challenging The Status Quo, And Rescuing Cows On The Side appeared first on Plant Based News.

While on a country walk in 2015, Monbiot decided to visit the East Devon’s River Culm, historically known for its rich biodiversity of otters, salmon, kingfishers, and rare insects. As he approached the riverbank, he was met with the overpowering smell of waste, and no sign of life at all.  

He realized it was coming from a nearby dairy farm, so called up the Environment Agency to report it. Following a great deal of chasing up, and even a column about his experience in the Guardian, he was eventually told it wasn’t a serious case, and that it wouldn’t be investigated further. Whistleblowers from the agency later told him that the then-environment secretary (this is where Truss comes in) had told them not to enforce against dairy farmers.

Since that day, Monbiot has been a vocal campaigner against animal farming. His latest book, Regenesis, argues for a total rehaul of our food system, with livestock replaced with plants and new food technologies. He’s joined numerous scientists and campaigners in stressing an uncomfortable and little known truth: if our current food system continues much longer, the planet as we know it will not survive.

To most, this claim will seem unbelievable. Farming tends to be viewed through rose-tinted glasses in the UK, protected by what Monbiot describes as a “moral force field” shielding it from criticism. And it’s not just just farmers and Truss upholding it, but often the environmental movement (which has historically focused on fossil fuels) as well.

“Hardly anyone is talking about stopping farming animals,” Monbiot tells Plant Based News (PBN). “It’s just as important [as fossil fuels], if not more so, because it hits every single Earth system.”

The romanticization of farming

Society’s love of farming is, according to Monbiot, “deeply embedded.” As children, we read stories of rosy-cheeked farmers and talking pigs. When we grow up, we watch the abundance of countryside documentaries showing a bucolic (and hugely limited) side of UK agriculture. 

“You absorb the dominant culture,” Monbiot says. “The culture and belief that ranching is the seat of innocence and purity. We just don’t see it and we don’t talk about it nearly as much as we should. It’s beginning to change, but it’s far too slow.”

There’s no doubt that fighting against fossil fuels is essential to avoid climate breakdown. The mistake some people make, Monbiot says, is believing that fight is the end of the story. “I used to be that environmentalist,” he says. “I wasn’t seeing the bigger picture, I wasn’t understanding what an enormously important component of environmental destruction animal farming is.”

The bigger picture

If we removed all fossil fuels today, studies have found that our food system alone would mean we would exceed the 1.5C warming limit set out by the Paris Climate Agreement.

Animal agriculture is responsible for at least 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than the entire transport system (including planes) combined. This is a relatively conservative figure that comes from the United Nations, and many scientists believe it to have been underestimated. 

Even so, emissions themselves are just the start of the problem. Animal agriculture is a leading driver of biodiversity loss, species extinction, and deforestation – all of which are caused by what Monbiot believes to be the most pressing environmental issue we face: land use. 

“Every hectare of land that we occupy for our own purposes is a hectare that can’t be occupied by wild ecosystems like forests or savannahs or or natural grasslands without any farming on them,” he says. “The biggest land use of all, by far and a long, long, long way is pasture for cattle and sheep.” 

The grass-fed beef myth

Despite this, one food that’s often considered an eco-friendly choice, and heralded by many eco-minded meat-eaters, is grass-fed beef. The idea that this food is good for the environment is, according to Monbiot, “the biggest nonsense of all.”

“This is the worst possible product you could eat,” he says. “There’s nothing more damaging than pasture-fed beef or lamb, and the reason for that is the huge amount of land it occupies.”  

Half of the world’s habitable land is taken up by agriculture, with at least three quarters of this used for animal livestock production. Livestock farming is the leading cause of deforestation, having been responsible for around 91 percent of Amazon destruction. 

The land is cleared for one of two reasons: to house the animals themselves or to grow grain to feed them. Monbiot describes such ranching as “the greatest threat to life on Earth.”

Cultivating land for farms is not only ridding the world of vital carbon sinks, but it’s also destroying the ecosystems on which our planet relies. “The great majority of wildlife species depend on land with no extractive use,” Monbiot says. “Where are the large predators? Oh, you’ve killed them all. Where are the wild herbivores? Oh, you’ve fenced them out. Where are the trees? Oh the livestock have eaten all the tree seedlings. Or you’ve cut them down.”

The importance of rewilding

Monbiot, along with a number of environmental campaigners, maintains that rewilding land used for farms should be a top priority if we want to save the planet.

“This huge restoration of ecosystems and of Earth systems would take us a very long way toward stopping the sixth great extinction and stopping climate breakdown,” he says. “You draw down much of the carbon dioxide we’ve already released into the atmosphere when you restore ecosystems, as they tend to be much richer in carbon than the systems affected by humans.

“it’s very hard to see how we’re going to get through the 21st century, let alone those that follow, unless we have a mass rewilding, unless we restore ecosystems on a huge scale.”

The rise of animal agriculture

But the world is moving in the wrong direction. Rather than shifting away from animal agriculture, we are expanding it. Governments, including in the UK, continue to give out billions in subsidies to animal farmers each year. While the plant-based movement is growing, it isn’t doing so as fast as the population itself, which hit eight billion people last year. This means that meat-eaters will continue to outrank vegans, and the ratio between them will get wider.

The best hope we have of moving away from farming, Monbiot says, is a food technology revolution. While many vegans are happy to eat foods like beans, lentils, and tofu, the same cannot be said for the majority of the population, most of whom are unwilling or unable to move away from foods that are familiar to them.

“If we’re going to encourage as many people as possible to switch away from eating animals, then what we need to do is to provide products which are as much like the products they’re used to eating, and are as easy to prepare and as easy to eat,” Monbiot says. “We should be using new technologies to the best possible extent to help us get out of animal agriculture.”

The future of food

As well as realistic meat alternatives like Redefine Meat and Juicy Marbles, Monbiot is an advocate of precision fermentation (PF). 

PF is a form of brewing. It sees microflora like yeast or bacteria be genetically engineered to make proteins or fats. It can be used to create the same ingredients found in meat, but without the animals. A number of food tech companies are, for example, creating animal-free milk and egg proteins.

Campaigners have said that precision fermentation could allow us to create enough protein to feed the world’s population using an area of land smaller than Greater London. According to Monbiot, future generations could be eating an entirely new diet of foods beyond our imaginations.

“The sky’s the limit. There are so many new tastes and textures that you can create, it’s impossible to know where it’s going to go,” he says. “Just as the first farmers to domesticate a cow weren’t thinking about Camembert, we can’t even imagine what might come out of this new food revolution.”

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The post George Monbiot On What The Environmental Movement Is Missing appeared first on Plant Based News.

Animal farming runs in his family, and he took over the Northwood Farm in Manston, Dorset, from his father. It produced dairy for 60 years; after the cow deaths, Candy planned to turn the farm organic, with a smaller herd. Then, after losing his milk contract a year later in autumn 2020, he turned it into a fully organic beef and dairy producer instead. Soon after the transition, Candy started reading about veganic farming. It was then that he sought the help of the Vegan Organic Network to move his farm away from animals altogether. 

“This probably was the definitive moment and my start to becoming a vegan farmer,” he tells Plant Based News. 

In October 2022, he became the UK’s first certified Biocyclic Vegan Standard farmer. This means he doesn’t use animals or any animal byproducts in fertilizers or production. The cow sheds are now grain stories, and the milking parlor is being transformed into a milling unit. Candy grows oat, wheat, and fava beans, and has no links to animal agriculture at all. 

The transition

While the transition of Candy’s farm was partly circumstantial, it came after a lifetime of being unsettled by an industry marred by death. 

“I have always had a relationship with ‘death’,” he says. “From a young age growing up on a farm, you become aware and witness when animals become ill and die or have to be put down by the vets or slaughter men. We have a saying in farming: ‘where there’s livestock, there’s deadstock’. I can honestly say that in my whole time, I never became ‘conditioned’ to witness the end of an animal’s life. This is probably a good thing, otherwise I would not question my actions.”

His experience of family tragedy helped him see the farming of animals through a new lense. In 2018, his father became seriously ill and was fighting for his life in intensive care. “I had some beef animals which were ready to go to market but I couldn’t sell them because of my father’s imminent possibility of death,” he says. “This experience puts everything into context.”

The following year, he lost his brother-in-law in a car accident, and his mother died of breast cancer in 2021. “The culmination of all these events, gives you a very deep understanding about life and death. It’s important to understand that we are all human. And this is the ‘why’ of why I have decided to be a vegan farmer – no more deaths and hopefully no more pain.”

Response from the farming community

As part of the transition, Candy gave the 28 cows remaining on his farm to Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk. He received a great deal of media interest in his decision, and even received a PETA award for allowing his herd to be rescued. 

This, he says, sparked backlash from within the farming community.

“There’s been a lot of negative criticism about what I am doing,” he says. “On social media they have mocked me, implied I am mad and you can’t farm without animals. What has shocked me is that they criticised the sanctuary move. None can see the good in what I have done, and even said I was irresponsible.”

Candy adds, however, that he’s had a great deal of support from the vegan community, even receiving letters from “complete strangers” thanking him and offering him help.

The future of farming

Candy hopes that his story will provide inspiration to farmers. He is also calling on the farming and vegan communities to work on their “fractious relationship” and make moves to better understand each other. 

“Both sides have created a culture of hatred. Hatred galvanizes the mind, it determines outcomes before reasoning,” he says. “My story represents a successful outcome. I was simply prepared to listen to someone else’s point of view… I hope I have shown the way forward and if the vegan community really wants to see changes, I hope they will themselves get behind this Biocyclic Vegan Standard movement and change the world for the better.”

The post Why This Dorset Dairy Farmer Gave His Cows To A Sanctuary And Turned His Farm Vegan appeared first on Plant Based News.

Since then, their traveling has come a long way. They went vegan in 2017, and may well be the first plant-based couple to ever visit 100 countries. 

Traveling as a vegan can be daunting. While plant-based food is growing in popularity across the world, and some countries eat mostly animal-free foods as default, it can be tricky to know for sure what your options are at your destination. 

Oskar and Dan are here to settle any concerns you may have. Throughout their many years of traveling, they’ve developed several strategies to get the most out of navigating the world as vegans. They spoke to Plant Based News (PBN) to offer their tips, stories, and best countries to visit. 

The best countries to visit as a vegan

“Food is, of course, a huge part of travel,” they say. “What people eat in different regions and cultures can say a lot about a place and its history, and what we put in our bellies is a strong social connector.”

According to the couple, there are two different types of vegan-friendly countries. There are the countries that have natural vegan-friendly local cuisine, and those that have a growing vegan movement. 

“The easiest countries to travel through are the ones that are vegan-friendly on both accounts since it allows you to try lots of authentic local food, while also having some ‘international vegan restaurant-type food’ every now and then.”

The best countries in this category, they say, are in Southeast Asia. Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of Indonesia all offer a wide range of plant-based cuisines. As well as these, Taiwan, the UAE, and Mexico all have a mix of local and international vegan options. The couple also recommend Western Europe and North America – while the local cuisine isn’t vegan-friendly in these places, they do have a rapidly growing plant-based movement. 

Tips for vegan travel

To get the most out of your trip, Oskar and Dan recommend downloading the HappyCow app. The app lets you know local vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in countries all over the world. The couple describe HappyCow as a “life-saver” as it allows them to find the very best plant-based eateries where they are. 

“In most countries, if there are no options on HappyCow or Google Maps, we try to look for Chinese, Thai, or in some cases, Korean restaurants,” they say. “The former option is likely to have tofu, and if they don’t, at least they’ll have flavorful vegetable dishes. Thai restaurants can almost always make vegetable curries and if you’re lucky, you’ll find a Korean restaurant that’ll make bibimbap with tofu. The latter was our to-go in Uzbekistan, which gets a lot of Korean expats and tourists.” 

Over the course of their many years traveling, the couple have come to realize that expensive hotels often tend to have better vegan options. 

“In places where you get more Western tourists such as the Maldives, Turkey, the Bahamas, and Bolivia, our luxury resorts were highlights when it came to getting semi-nutritious vegan meals,” they say. 

One activity that Oskar and Dan try to do where possible is a cooking class in whatever country they’re in. This allows them to learn more about the local dishes, and how to veganize them. 

“Sometimes there are specific vegetarian or even vegan classes available,” they say. “If not, the organizer is usually happy to accommodate you anyway. This is a great way to learn which local dishes you like and what the ingredients are – very helpful info when looking for options at restaurants later.”

What to do if a country isn’t vegan-friendly 

There are many countries in the world where it’s a challenge to eat vegan food, but that doesn’t mean they should be avoided. 

“We had some of our hardest food-related travel experiences in countries like Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Tunisia,” they say. “That’s not to say the trips were bad in themselves; Uzbekistan is one of our biggest travel highlights, but the food was definitely a struggle.” 

In some countries, it may be that your options will be limited to foods like chips, pasta, and salad, but with a bit of preparation that shouldn’t be a problem.

Oskar and Dan recommend always bringing supplements (such as B12, vitamin D, and omega 3) to ensure you’re getting the right nutrients. They also often take protein bars and powders in their suitcase.

Getting the most out of vegan travel

The most important that when traveling as a vegan, they say, is kindness. “Smiling and never passing judgment on the local culture’s way of eating is important as a guest in a foreign place. If someone asks why we’re vegan, we tell the truth, which is that we feel so much better physically, mentally, and spiritually on a plant-based diet.”

They add that, while being vegan can be limiting, it can also become the “very reason a destination becomes amazing!”

“On our Ireland trip, we spent time in Greystones to visit The Happy Pear’s store and restaurant (they are vegan Irish twins who run an incredible vegan online and offline business). In South Korea, we did several temple stays and the temple food is strictly vegetarian. And lastly, discovering and supporting vegan businesses all around the world adds so much value to each and every trip we take.”

The post Vegan Couple Visit 100 Countries To Show Plant-Based Travel Is Possible Anywhere appeared first on Plant Based News.

The renowned chef is well-known in the vegan community. He founded food brand Wicked Kitchen alongside his brother, Chad Sarno, and the two have been instrumental in bringing plant-based food to the masses with their innovative and popular recipes. 

First launched in UK Tesco stores in January 2018, Wicked Kitchen has since spread across the globe. Its products are now available to buy in the US, Finland, and Thailand, with more countries potentially on the horizon.

Soon after his departure from Tesco, Plant Based News (PBN) spoke to Derek about his career, future plans, and the infinite power of mushrooms in cooking…

Derek Sarno beyond Tesco

Sarno announced he’d be stepping down from his Tesco role in a LinkedIn post in January 2023. He said that it was the “end of an era” and “beginning of a new chapter.”

He tells PBN that he’s now planning to expand Wicked Kitchen throughout the UK, as well as explore new opportunities within the food industry. 

“Wicked Kitchen is passionate about giving back to communities and promoting plant-based eating as a key part of a sustainable and healthy food system,” he says. “That’s why I am committed to collaborating with businesses, retailers, chefs, and content creators to make plant-based options more widely available.”

Sarno will also be spending more time in the US, where Wicked Kitchen as seen huge success since it launched in 2021. As well as providing products to Kroger supermarkets and Sprouts Farmers Markets, the brand has partnered with more than a dozen NBA basketball teams to bring vegan options to thousands of sports fans. 

“I’m particularly intrigued by the food culture in the US with its scale and size,” he says. “I would love to bring more plant-based options to North America and challenge the idea that cuisine is centered around meat and dairy.”

The power of mushrooms

A key part of Sarno’s future plans, he says, involves collaborating with more mushroom growers. Anyone who’s tried Sarno’s food or followed him on social media will be aware that mushrooms are a major focus in his work. 

“I discovered the power of mushrooms early in my career when I was working as the global chef at Whole Foods,” he tells PBN. “At the time, I was experimenting on my own with different ways to create rich, umami, meaty flavors in dishes, and found that mushrooms were the perfect ingredient for achieving that goal.”

Sarno regularly posts videos on social media demonstrating the immense versatility of mushrooms. He specifically works with the Oyster and Lion’s Mane versions, and his ability to turn them into “steaks,” in particular, earns him rave reviews with his followers. 

“I was drawn to the meaty, savory texture of mushrooms, which I find to be a great substitute for animal-based ingredients like beef, chicken, and pork,” he says.

It’s safe to say that mushrooms are having a bit of a moment right now. It used to be the case that they were either associated with bland dinners or hallucinating in fields, but there’s now a growing understanding of just how varied, powerful, and nutritionally beneficial they (the non-magic kind…) can be. 

“Over time I became increasingly interested in the health benefits of mushrooms and learned that they are a rich source of protein, fiber, and antioxidants, and have been linked to a range of health benefits, including improved immune function and reduced inflammation,” Sarno says.

A growing industry

Sarno removed animal products from his diet seven years ago, when the plant-based industry was very different. It was a time before oat milk, edible vegan cheese, and the Gregg’s sausage roll, and being vegan was considerably more of a challenge. 

Since then, however, the industry has skyrocketed. The vegan food market was valued at $19.7 billion in 2020, and it’s expected to reach $36.3 billion by 2030. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled. Figures published in 2023 state that around six percent of people between the ages of 30 and 39 follow a vegan diet. 

This trend can also be seen throughout the globe. In January 2023, a record 700,000 people signed up for Veganuary, which is up 80,000 compared to the previous year. North Korea (where the internet is banned) and Vatican City were said to be the only places on Earth with no sign-ups.

The evolution of the plant-based landscape

The growing popularity of plant-based diets is leading to rapid change in the sector. There has been an influx of meat and dairy alternatives, advancements in animal-free food tech, and cell-based meat is getting closer to becoming a reality in countries like the US and UK every day.

The advancement of the industry is vital. As well as the huge ethical costs of animal farming (we kill around 80 billion land animals each year for food), numerous studies have shown mass adoption of plant-based diets are vital to avoid climate collapse. Not everyone will move to vegan diets on ethical or environmental grounds, so making food that’s familiar, accessible, and nutritious is key to turning people towards them. 

“I believe that in the next few years, we will see a greater emphasis on using whole, minimally processed plant-based ingredients in cooking, and more innovation in the plant-based food industry,” Sarno says. “I’m excited to be part of this movement and to see the positive impact it can have on our health, the environment, and animal welfare.”

The post Derek Sarno On His Career, Life After Tesco, And The Vast Power Of Mushrooms appeared first on Plant Based News.

The UK-based movement sees funds raised from donors used to buy up agricultural land used for livestock. The group then rewilds the land, allowing plants and nature to flourish there once more. 

Land use in animal farming is arguably one of the most pressing environmental issues we face. At least 26 percent of the world’s ice-free land is used for livestock farming, while 33 percent of croplands grow grain to feed them. 

As a result of this, animal agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. The problem is particularly pronounced in the UK, which has lost half of its biodiversity since the 1970s. The country used to be made up of vast forests, rather than empty green fields, but now 71 percent of the land is used for agriculture.

A study published in 2020 said that the UK has “led the world” in destroying the natural environment. Campaigners have warned that a move away from animal agriculture, as well as rewilding of that land, is essential to avoid climate breakdown. 

The Vegan Land Movement

This is where the VLM comes in. It was started up by Gina Bates, Sara Eloquin, and Kevin Greenhill, and has so far removed five plots of land from animal farming in Somerset. One of these areas had planning permission for a farm housing 20,000 chickens, which the movement then halted. “This was the biggest win for us,” Bates tells Plant Based News (PBN). “Because of the suffering that has been stopped, along with the subsequent pollution.”

The group are now in the process of rewilding the plots, and have planted 1,000 native saplings to help kickstart a future native woodland. They are also planning to turn a small patch of the land previously destined for chicken farming into veganic community orchard. They are set to plant the trees in March of this year. 

Bates says that they’ve been “overjoyed” by the results of their work so far, and have seen huge amounts of wildlife returning to the fields.

“We were very sensitive in monitoring the sites, as so much biodiversity had returned,” Bates says. “There were hundreds if not thousands of other species that were out of sight, hiding, nocturnal or too small to see with the naked eye.”

See the gallery below for photos of wildlife that has returned to VLM’s fields

How does the Vegan Land Movement work?

The idea behind the movement is that “the hundreds and thousands of vegans out there and on social media become part of it.” It has a sister initiative called the Global Vegan Crowd Funder, which raises the money to buy out the land.

“Vegans en masse each donate a little and this can be just the price of a coffee, if we all get on board,” says Bates. “We then out-bid the animal farmers at auction and remove land from animal agriculture, forever. Nobody loses their shirt, we save the land, we save species, we end the exploitation of farmed animals, we save the planet, and we create a vegan world acre by acre. It really is that simple.

“This is the power of community when we all work together.”

Response to the movement

Predictably, the movement hasn’t come without controversy. Despite its huge ecological and ethical costs, farming tends to be viewed through rose tinted glasses in the UK, particularly by the mainstream media. 

After national broadsheet The Times published a feature on the movement, it was approached by right wing talk show Talk TV. According to Bates, they decided not to accept given how badly guests with opposing views tend to be treated. The show went ahead with the segment anyway, featuring a farmer who claimed that cows were “carbon neutral” (a wildly unscientific assertion). 

“They sadly did not mention the aims of the VLM to increase biodiversity and help critically endangered species, or that we have planted around 1000 trees in total,” VLM’s Sara Eloquin tells PBN. “Or that every piece of land we have taken out of the animal agriculture system is a future haven for wildlife and a place where fellow animals will never again be cruelly exploited, but that is not really surprising.”

After the segment, the movement was “flooded” with emails. While many were words of support and donations, they did also receive some backlash. 

“The response from the public has been mostly positive, although of course there will always be the inevitable negativity and trolling,” says Bates.

She added that people from all over the world have been reaching out, and that many local vegans and organizations had offered to help with the rewilding efforts. 

Response from farmers

Farming magazines have published a number of articles on the movement. It was even covered by a German agricultural publication, which claimed that British farmers were angry with the group. 

According to Bates, however, this isn’t necessarily the truth. “Farmers are not overly critical, just wary of us,” she says.

Perhaps surprisingly, some of the interactions they’ve had with farmers have been positive, rather than negative. 

“We did have a slightly rocky start with one of the farmers whose land is next to one of the VLM plots. But we got soon chatting to her and after a while she started to share stories about the loss of wildlife she has seen over the years (she is an elderly farmer) and how much this saddens her.

“When we told her what we were doing with the parcel of land next to hers, she was happy and appreciates the work we are doing to counteract biodiversity loss by creating habitat for species. She even asked if she should plant trees on some of her land too. So, we are hopeful that she will and that more wildlife will be attracted there too.”

The future of the movement

The group is hoping to get more people involved, and to therefore buy up more land more frequently. In the longterm, they want to expand the movement into more countries and continue the rewilding efforts worldwide. 

At the time of writing, around 500 people have so far donated to the cause. “What could we do if there were 5000 or 50,000 of us?” says Bates. “We could create a different system very quickly.”

Visit the Vegan Land Movement website to get involved. You can also support the group’s sixth buyout here.

The post What Is The Vegan Land Movement? Meet The Group Buying Land From Farmers appeared first on Plant Based News.

Given that UK daytime TV has a bit of a tendency to paint vegans as weird and extreme (see: pretty much everything Piers Morgan’s ever done), this was an unusual moment. Nolan had adopted a mostly plant-based diet for health reasons the previous year, and has since educated herself on the horrors of UK animal farming.

Loose Women is watched by around a million people each day, the vast majority of whom – like most of the population – won’t be aware of the realities of animal agriculture. Vegans across the country were therefore grateful to Nolan for bringing this subject to such an audience.

A few weeks after the episode aired, Plant Based News (PBN) sat down with Nolan to discuss plant-based eating, the meat industry, and the pushback she receives from friends and colleagues for speaking out about animal cruelty.

Coleen Nolan goes plant-based

Nolan decided to go plant-based during the first lockdown in 2020 after experiencing a number of health problems. 

“I was literally living on painkillers,” she says. “I had this terrible condition in both my feet, and a bad back that was affecting my knees.” She and her daughter Ciara decided to “give the diet a go” after watching the 2017 documentary What The Health, which explores the health impacts of animal foods. 

Within two weeks, Nolan says, she was completely off the painkillers. The condition in her feet had also gone. “It was so bizarre. And so we carried on.”

A little while after ditching animal products, she started researching the ethical reasons why people adopt plant-based diets, and her reason for following one switched. “Then obviously it then became about the animals,” she says. “All of a sudden that became a major factor.”

The “humane meat” myth

Nolan spent most of her life turning a blind eye to the reality of where meat had come from. “I kind of built up this story that the animals are looked after, and it’s humane and we have to eat meat. Because that’s how I’ve grown up being told. It’s a total lie, and it’s not humane. Even when it’s humane, It’s not humane. It’s not.”

She isn’t alone. Due to a huge amount of effort, money, and deceptive marketing from the meat industry, the vast majority of the population have no idea how the animals they eat are treated. Around 1.2 billion land animals are killed for food each year in the UK, with 85 percent of these being raised on factory farms. They are confined in cages, crammed in sheds, and also subjected to painful mutilations. 

Most people who buy meat do so with little or no understanding of the industry they’re supporting. Many – like Nolan – only learn the truth after seeing farm and slaughterhouse footage on documentaries or online.

“It’s changed my life for the better in many respects but it’s also in some respects changed it for the worst,” she says. “Because now I’ve become educated about it. And before I lived in ignorant bliss, and that was actually an easier world to live in.”

Nolan says that she often feels “helpless” when seeing these videos, adding: “It’s just awful. It’s heartbreakingly awful, and sometimes I lose sleep.

“It traumatizes me really, it makes me really sad for a good two or three days. It really affects me. And in some respects I kind of wish they would show that in a school, because I think a lot of kids would go ‘I don’t want to eat that again ever’.”

Animal agriculture hits home

Nolan lives in the English countryside, where livestock farming is widespread and inescapable. After learning the truth about how animals are treated, she started seeing her hometown in a different light. 

“I used to love it when I was driving along the road and I’d see fields of cows and fields of sheep, and now it just depresses the hell out of me,” she says. “I don’t get the enjoyment now, I look at them and think ‘I can’t bear it.’”

After noticing that the cows were mooing particularly loudly at a dairy farm near her house, Nolan was told that they’d had their calves taken from them. This is standard practice in the dairy industry, where cows are forced to give birth with artificial insemination each year. “I can’t stand the noise anymore, I can’t stand it,” she says. “It just kills me.”

“Don’t come at me until you’ve learnt all the facts”

Like most people who go vegan or plant-based, Nolan has received criticism and pushback from those who don’t understand that lifestyle. 

“If I mention it, they go ‘oh god you’re not one of them are you?’,” she says. “And it’s like, one of what? I don’t want to be that person that tells people off because they’re eating meat in front of me, I think it’s a real personal choice. But don’t come at me until you’ve learned all the facts.”

She says that she often feels frustrated when discussing plant-based eating with friends and colleagues, including some of her fellow panelists on Loose Women. 

“They say: ‘Yeah, but I don’t understand why you wouldn’t eat eggs, you know hens just lay eggs.’ And I’m thinking, ‘oh god, I haven’t got time to explain all this in four minutes.’ But if you go into it then they go ‘oh she’s going to lecture us now.’ It’s just really, really hard. But it doesn’t stop me from doing it.”

Nolan also highlights the disconnect the population, many of whom describe themselves as animal lovers, have from their food. 

“I go to them: But you’ll sit there and have a Sunday roast. How would you feel if they roasted your dog? It’s the same thing, it’s an animal, and whether you believe it or not they’ve got feelings, I don’t care what you say.”

Misconceptions of veganism

Like many people on a plant-based diet, Nolan has also received unsolicited health advice from medical professionals who believe it’s necessary to eat animal products. 

“I’ve had doctors say to me: ‘you’ll be losing out on a lot of vitamins if you’re not doing it right” or ‘you’ll be losing out’. And I’m thinking – I’m eating more healthy now than I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

Misinformation about the perceived “unhealthiness” of plant-based diets is also widespread among the media (see, again, Piers Morgan). Vegans are often depicted as pale, weak, and lacking in key nutrients, leading to a general mistrust of plant-based diets among the population. 

“You always get the people going ‘My friend went vegan. She got really ill and nearly died’,” says Nolan. “And I’m like ‘well then she didn’t do it bloody properly.’ She probably just ate a carrot.” 

A plant-based future

Despite pushback, Nolan is determined to continue with plant-based eating, and hopes to become fully vegan soon. “I’m still learning every day. I’m still not as informed as I want, it’s just changing your mindset, isn’t it?”

Like many proponents of veganism, she is urging farmers to move away from animal agriculture. “There are farmers out there that are going: ‘you’re going to ruin our livelihood.’ Well then think of a new way of doing it? Why don’t you have fields where you grow fresh food and do it that way?” 

This is a view that’s supported by many activists and organizations, including Animal Rebellion. As part of its Plant Based Future campaign, the group is calling on the UK government to support farmers to transition to plant-based agriculture. 

As she learns more and more about the ways we treat animals, Nolan says she’s getting more stringent with her views every day. “Now I’m getting more into it, and getting more informed, I’m getting close to pouring milk in a supermarket.”

The post Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan: ‘I Lose Sleep Thinking About Animal Agriculture’ appeared first on Plant Based News.