Don’t eat your friends

An obvious one, but a sure-fire way of losing a friend is by killing and eating them.

Showing your love on Valentine’s Day by giving gifts of dairy chocolates or a meat dinner is hardly loving to the victims.

So, make sure you are choosing compassionate vegan food and gifts. Then, why not share the amazing food and gifts via your social media feeds to show how easy and delicious they are?

Create a Love Garden

We all know about the decline in the bee population, but you can care for all the bees, birds and bugs by creating a themed Valentine plant display or area of your garden. Even a window box can attract the creepy crawlies and provide them with good nourishment. Why not present your loved one with seeds, pots and advice, or make a display yourself? Think of making “seed bombs” with wildflowers that attract butterflies. Now is the perfect time to plant bulbs and the seeds that will make a beautiful spring or summer display.

Get dirty (at a sanctuary)

Get down and dirty on one of the dozens of vegan sanctuaries and charities that offer care for injured, abandoned, or sick animals. Some offer accommodation. Many offer vegan food and sell vegetables. The animals will thank you for it, and you’ll create a day to remember. Just don’t forget your wellies.

The Gift of Life

A quick search reveals dozens of charities that offer care to all sorts of animals – from snails and hedgehogs to giraffes and rhinos. You can adopt or sponsor any one of a number of different animals – whether it’s endangered whales and dolphins, a symbolic adoption of a Costa Rican sloth, or a pig at a UK sanctuary. The gift of adoption or sponsorship helps saves lives and provides a thoughtful, enduring gift.

To know them is to love them

We are all keen to spend time with animals, but how about taking it a step further by enrolling on an animal psychology course? We approach our love for animals from a human perspective, and perhaps the world would be a better place if we all viewed things from a different angle. There’s lots of courses in subjects like animal welfare and behaviour that are free online. Alternatively, take the opportunity to show how much you care for animals by studying a course in animal first aid, which could make a huge difference one day.

Bake it, don’t fake it

Why not spend some time around Valentine’s Day selling homemade vegan animal treats for a local animal charity of your choice? It’s cheap and easy to rustle up biscuits, for example, and might encourage humans to adopt a more compassionate lifestyle, too. There’s room for a little advocacy served alongside your wares.

Valentine’s Day should be a day when we show love and compassion to all, not just our significant other human. So get out there and use the opportunity to remind others of the need to show more love and thought for the animal world and for the planet.

More like this:

• The Best Vegan Valentine’s Day Supermarket Meal Deals For 2024
• Animal Sanctuaries Need You This Winter – Here’s How To Help
• 9 Positive Things That Happened For Animals In 2023

The post How To Show Your Love For Animals On Valentine’s Day appeared first on Plant Based News.

The study was published in the Journal of Family Violence on April 29, 2023. Researchers surveyed 245 undergraduate students via an anonymous format. Participants had a mean age of 19.26. Just over half (52.7 percent) were white, with slightly more being female (56.7 percent).

Study authors collected data on respondents’ animal product intake, depressive symptoms, lifetime “use” of intimate partner aggression, and degree of speciesism. Speciesism is a term used to describe the belief that humans are superior to other animals. Researchers measured this by asking participants to rank how much they agreed with statements like, “Humans have the right to use animals however they want to.”

The findings

Researchers discovered that those with a higher consumption of animal parts were both more physically and psychologically aggressive towards their partners.

High animal product consumption was also linked to greater speciesism. Similarly, those who appeared more speciesist were also more likely to report use of violence in relationships.

“Results from this study were generally consistent with hypotheses; greater consumption of animal flesh was associated with both physical and psychological intimate partner aggression both at the bivariate level and when controlling for other associated correlates including depressive symptoms and speciesism,” researchers wrote in their report.

They later note: “Results suggest that eating non-human animals may not only be associated with greater risk for negative physical and mental health issues, but also engaging in harmful behaviors towards others including intimate relationship partners.”

Speciesism and aggression

It’s not the first time researchers have sought to better understand speciesism in humans, and the psychological repercussions of it.

In 2019, researchers discovered that higher speciesism was associated with other oppressive views relating to racism, homophobia, and sexism.

Based on this – and separate research that found people with more speciesist views tended to look down on low-status groups – study authors of the just-published report concluded that the link between aggressive behaviour and speciesism “should not be surprising.”

They also theorized that “hypermasculine attitudes” may play a role in both increased speciesism and relationship aggression. Additionally, aggressive behavior may be further exacerbated by hormones in animal flesh, researchers noted. This includes adrenaline and cortisol, which can spike during the slaughter process due to animals’ extreme stress and fear.

Study limitations

Authors of the recent research acknowledged limitations of their study. In particular, future studies should engage a larger and more diverse sample.

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Founded and run by an all-female identifying team, the brand develops plant-based lubricants specifically for women.

Aguilera seeks to help CEO Catherine Magee and co-founder Sandy Vukovic make sexual wellness less of a taboo subject. The brand itself aims to “create an open dialogue” around the topic. As such, it hopes that a high-profile name will drive the mission forward.

“I’m thrilled to be part of a woman-owned business, and building a brand where women can recognize Playground as a product that is speaking to them with an informed perspective,” Aguilera said in a statement. 

“I continue to encourage women to feel empowered while owning every aspect of themselves, and to treat sexual wellness as part of a regular self-care routine.”

The singer-songwriter went on to address the fact that the sexual wellness category has been dominated by male priorities. This, she said, has resulted in a deficit of products being created specifically with women, their pleasure, and health needs in mind.

Women come first at Playground

Playground claims that its products have been developed to spark all five senses and maintain sexual health. It does so with its range of water-based, pH-balanced, and vegan lubricants that are suitable for personal or multiplayer use.

As a brand, Playground has focused on direct language, addressing women’s needs and encouraging its consumers to take control. Aguilera, known for her feminist ideologies and self-love messaging, is considered the ideal celebrity spokesperson for such a company.

“What’s been missing in the overall health and wellness conversation is the role of sexual health. Christina is the perfect voice to champion female sexuality,” Playground CEO Magee said in a statement.

‘Premium skincare for the vagina’

All four of the Playground lubricants – called After Hours, Date Night, Love Sesh, and Mini Escape – were developed to cater to more than just sexual pleasure.

Considering the needs of women’s skin, each item is described as more than just a lubricant. According to the brand, they are designed to “hydrate, soothe, and spark the libido with plant-based ingredients that are clean, vegan, and free of harmful ingredients – it’s like premium skincare for the vagina.”

What’s more, despite using high-end ingredients and having Aguilera onboard, Playground seeks to make sexual wellbeing accessible to all. As such, a $25 price tag stands across the range. 

Christina Aguilera-backed Playground products are available directly or through selected retailers including Ohne.

The post Christina Aguilera Joins Vegan Lubricant Brand As Co-Founder appeared first on Plant Based News.

The data, which comes from plant-based meat brand Dopsu, found that 24 percent of Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) would “never consider dating a vegan.” Perhaps surprisingly, they were more likely to respond as such than older age groups. 

The discovery came as part of a wider delve into people’s willingness to adapt their eating habits for love.

Changing eating habits for love

Collating feedback from consumer surveys, Dopsu claims that, on the whole, many people are willing to adjust their diet to secure a partner. In fact, a quarter of Brits surveyed said they would reduce their meat intake for love. Meanwhile, more than a fifth said that they would “happily take part” in meat-free Mondays.

For millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) specifically, 28 percent revealed they would eat less meat for a potential partner.

Looking at all survey participants, over a quarter (27 percent) already consider themselves to be flexitarian (someone who follows a largely plant-based diet) or a meat-reducer (actively lessening meat intake).

On the stranger side of things, it was discovered that 20 percent of men had lied about their diet to potential romantic interests. It’s not clear if they posed as meat-free eaters to attract a compassionate mate, in some kind of cruelty-free catfishing endeavor.

Cooking for a meat-free lover is still daunting

Dopsu’s research found that despite being willing to embrace meat-free foods, only 17 percent of people would feel confident about cooking for a plant-based partner.

“Even though a quarter of us would cut back on meat for a partner or potential partner we’re still not confident cooking plant-based meals for them,” Fred Sirieix, restaurateur and maître d’ on Channel 4’s First Dates series, said. “It’s time to experiment and try your hand at a meat-free beef bourguignon, chicken fajita, or even a duck pancake.”

Plant-based love is easier to find than ever

For those looking to date and connect within the plant-based community, a number of apps have stepped up to make it easier, including Vegpal, Veggly, and TofuTogether.

Most recently, Grazer teamed up with Drag Race UK superstar Bimini to promote its meat-free love-finding platform. The collaboration used a provocative “f*ck vegans” slogan to drive the message home.

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The app frequently promotes itself with the straplines “f*ck vegans” and “love vegans.” It welcomed Bimini onboard as a major stakeholder in 2022 before employing their modeling skills. The move came after the dating platform completed a successful crowdfunding campaign at the beginning of the year.

Bimini rose to fame within the meat-free community for featuring on season two of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. They were shown walking into shot declaring “I’m vegan! Ha!”

In a series of glamor images, Bimini is seen in various states of undress, with the “f*ck vegans” strapline emblazoned either across clothing or their naked body.

“Vegans can get a bad rep, ‘f*ck vegans’ puts a twist on that sentiment by lightheartedly taking the p*ss out of ourselves and inviting everyone to the joke,” Bimini explained in a statement. 

“The campaign is designed to bridge the gap between people through humor. That’s important to me when I put something out into the world and Grazer shares that mentality. Collaborating on’ f*ck vegans’ was the perfect marriage of minds.”

Grazer identifies ethics as a turn-on

Grazer, the self-styled “meatless matchmaker,” has created its “f*ck vegans” campaign following consumer research. 

The vegan dating app states that it discovered, through surveys, that aligned ethics are a serious turn-on for singles. It bolstered this claim by revealing that 67 percent of its existing community said they would date someone they might not usually consider, if they were vegan or vegetarian. 

Similarly, 42 percent stated they would not engage in a casual encounter with a meat-eater. Finally, 71 percent would not kiss someone who had recently eaten meat.

“People joke about being vegansexual, but our research shows it’s real. ‘F*ck vegans, love vegans’  is our way of celebrating the growing hunger for vegan connection,” Charlotte Elizabeth, co-founder of Grazer said in a statement.

“Vegans aren’t just looking for a shared lifestyle in long-term partners, they’re looking for it in casual hookups too.”

Bimini as a Grazer ambassador

Known for their bold and punk-adjacent style, vegan Bimini was a natural ambassador choice for Grazer.

Referring to the Drag Race runner-up as its perfect match, Grazer highlighted that Bimini is a representation of modern veganism and that the final campaign images are inspired by protest imagery. Specifically, the two wanted to capture the feel of anti-fur activism.

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After Veganuary 2022, and as spring is now in the air, aspiring vegans everywhere will be looking for ways to stay on track with their new lifestyle.

Vegans need to master plant-based alternatives to animal-based foods, tasty recipes, eating out, and how to get the right nutrients. Then there’s vegan clothing, cleaning products, and skincare to consider.

Thankfully there are many apps to provide support for these things including, HappyCow, Forks Over Knives, 21 Day Vegan Kickstart, and VNutrition.

But what about finding a vegan soulmate?

Dating might not be top of the app download list for newly fledged vegans or vegetarians, but as their values and passion for plant-based living grows, so too might their preference for a partner with similar interests. 

With more than 500,000 vegans in the UK and 1.2 million vegetarians, it’s no wonder regular dating apps are starting to offer vegan and vegetarian preferences. However, the majority of people on these apps don’t follow a plant-based lifestyle. For some vegans and veggies this is a deal breaker for intimate relationships. 

This is where Vegpal comes in.

Animal rights activists launch dating app

Dahlia and Sravan, two Boston-based animal rights activists, created the mobile app Vegpal to provide a dating platform exclusively for vegans and vegetarians. Disenchanted with their experiences dating outside the plant-based community, they recognized the need for a space for vegans to meet, connect, and date others that share their values and lifestyle.

The app was designed with the vegan community in mind. Infused with the colors of the vegan flag, Vegpal offers a simple yet beautiful user interface, designed to create a relaxing experience for members.

Vegans and vegetarians in the dating scene

Eating together is a huge part of building any relationship as dating often entails dinners, coffee dates and lunches. A survey by Zava Med of Europeans and Americans found that over 70 percent of singles choose a restaurant for a first date, while another popular choice is a coffee shop or cafe. Relationship building goes hand in hand with eating and drinking but for vegans and vegetarians this could get in the way.

This is what Vegpal founder Dahlia found. She was put off meeting up with omnivores through dating apps. Dahlia said, “I was fed up swiping past pictures of fishing expeditions and sitting opposite people eating carcasses.”

A SpeedDater survey found that 27 percent of vegans and vegetarians have had a partner’s food habits contribute to the end of a relationship. For most vegans and vegetarians, it’s not just a diet, it’s a philosophy.

It makes sense that a lifestyle-specific dating app could help people find a soulmate with similar values.

Having shared interests matters

One of the key things that makes the dating experience fun is talking about shared interests. 

Stimulating these conversations is an integral part of the Vegpal experience. Like Facebook, where users can share a statement or link on their profile page, Vegpal users can post something of interest to them. It could be the latest vegan podcast they heard, a book, YouTube video, or pictures of a marathon they ran.

The idea behind Vegpal’s unique “My Feed” function was to allow members to express their personalities and interests and create more interesting conversations.

Dahlia explained how they managed to combine social media with a dating profile to help people strike up meaningful conversations. “There’s only so much you can tell about someone from their profile stats and it doesn’t always make for rich conversation.”

Security and safety when dating online 

Safety was at the forefront of developing Vegpal. After downloading the app, users complete a mini-application process. This helps the app’s team rule out scammers, trolls, and carnivores. It ensures members always feel secure and helps them avoid time wasters. 

A 2020 Pew Research Centre Study found that many women are experiencing some form of harassment on dating sites and apps. Fifty-seven percent said they’d received sexually explicit messages or images they hadn’t asked for. 

Quality over quantity

Creating quality connections for members, rather than quantity, is a priority for Vegpal. Unlike most dating apps, Vegpal limits daily swipes in order to create a space where each “like” is thoughtful. Dahlia said, “it’s not about endless scrolling and endless faces, it’s about quality conversations and connections.” 

Vegpal strives to be an ethical player in the dating market, moving away from the concept of online dating as a pseudo-marketplace where people shop for potential partners the same way they shop for a new phone or tv.

Inclusivity

A really important element of any community is to foster inclusivity and Vegpal takes extra care to ensure its app embraces everyone in the plant-based world. 

One of the values of its founders was to ensure LGBTQIA+ representation. They did this by consulting with people in these communities while building the app to get a sense of how best to include everyone and make them feel seen. 

Vegpal incorporates categories for gender that enable people to express their identity while having the best opportunity to get matched. 

Meeting vegan friends, not just soul mates 

The ethos behind Vegpal is to create meaningful connections and this is reflected in the latest feature to be launched very soon. 

Plant Based News has received insider information that plans are afoot for Vegpal to launch a “friendship” function. The aim is to offer members a way to build non-romantic connections with like-minded others locally and globally.

For anyone planning to venture into the dating scene, Vegpal could be the answer to meeting like-minded others and growing a vegan friendship group.

Vegpal is free to join. To find out more visit the Vegpal website or download the app on Google Play or Apple’s App Store.

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According to Veggly, almost 75 percent of its users are interested in long-term, monogamous relationships, while over half (56 percent) are interested in “one-off dates.” Further, 57.2 percent are interested in making new friends and 33.8 percent are interested in open relationships. 

Vegans and open relationships

The data also suggests that vegans and vegetarians are 69 percent more likely to pursue an open relationship than meat-eaters. 

In recent years, non-traditional relationships – such as open relationships – appear to be growing in popularity across the world, especially in Google searches. While the exact definition of an open relationship depends on the individuals involved, the term can include everything from polyamory to non-monogamous arrangements. 

‘Data is fascinating’

Commenting on the new findings, behavioral psychologist Jo Hemmings said, “This research from Veggly that vegans and veggies are 69 percent are more likely to pursue an open relationship than meat-eaters is fascinating, and it makes sense from my point of view as a psychologist.

“Vegans in particular have already taken an ethical decision not to eat meat, and this has become one of their core values when meeting a match. Due to their self-assured and less traditional eating choice, they are more likely to have the strong confidence needed to consider relationships that are also different from the ‘norm’.”

Hemmings believes the norm-breaking confidence expressed by vegans and vegetarians can also be carried into other areas of their life. This may result in a stronger likelihood to experiment in the bedroom, for example.

Founder of Veggly, Alex Felipelli, shared: “This data is great to see, because it shows how our platform is being used for all sorts of purposes, helping herbivores across the world connect in new ways.”

Veggie dating apps see incredible growth

Veggly, which has exceeded 600,000 global users, predicts its rapid growth will continue as the vegan movement grows.

There are now a range of dating services centered on matching singles who favor plant-based diets.

Online, people can create profiles on Green Singles, Veggie Date, and Veggie Connection to meet like-minded individuals. In the dating app world, Veggly is joined by the likes of Grazer and Vegpal.

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