Let's assume conservatively that each vegan doesn't consume each week:
2 eggs ( 20 million eggs are not bought each week)
1 gallon of milk ( 10 million gallons of milk not purchased each week)
2 steaks and 2 hamburgers ( that's 40 million steaks and hamburgers every week the meat industry doesn't profit from)
Each vegan saves over 1 MILLION gallons of fresh water each year because it is not channeled through animals!
With over 10 million vegans, that's over 10 TRILLION gallons of fresh water saved every year!!
So, as you can see, by each of us doing our small part it makes a HUGE difference in the lives of animals, humans, and also helps protect the environment
Also remember that while there many great benefits of being a vegan, the REASON is because humans absolutely do not need ANY animal "products" to survive or thrive, so any killing of animals by humans for consumption, testing, "sport", or entertainment is completely unnecessary
Where can I buy Vegan Ingredients?
Subject: Where can I buy Vegan Ingredients?
By Jolinda Hackett
Question: Where can I buy vegetarian ingredients?
Answer: As more and more people become vegetarian, more and more grocery stores are stocking vegetarian and vegan foods, like soymilk, tofu, dairy substitutes and soy cheeses, a variety of vegetarian deli meats, and whole grains, among other products. Shopping for vegetarian groceries has never been easier! Read on to find out where else to shop to stock your vegetarian kitchen.
Natural Foods Stores, Health Food Stores, Co-ops
Natural foods stores, health food stores, and co-op groceries are great sources for items like seitan, tempeh, and soy products that can’t be found at your regular grocer. Check your yellow pages under either “Natural Foods” or “Health Foods” to find natural foods stores in your community or search the Green People website online. Many natural foods stores have a bulk section, where you can purchase as little or as much of an item as you’d like. If you can’t find a particular item that you’re looking for, most health food stores and co-ops are also happy to fill special orders, so be sure to ask!
Produce Stands, Farmers Markets
Depending on where you live, you may have access to a seasonal or weekly farmers market, where local growers sell organic fruits, vegetables, and more. Produce is usually cheaper at these markets, as it comes directly from the source. If you’ve never been to a farmers market, allow yourself extra time to browse and chat with farmers about their products. Produce stands vary from rural stands that just sell a few items to large stores that carry much more than fruits and vegetables. You may be able to find a few specialty items at larger produce stands as well-- things like spices, tofu and dairy-free salad dressings.
Ethnic grocers:
Ethnic grocers are a great way to explore new flavors and tastes! Most Asian grocers sell tofu, miso, noodles, stir fry sauces, vegetable broth and seaweed, often at a much lower price than natural foods stores. Try out new sauces for stir-fries or tofu marinades. Depending on the size of the store, you may also find exotic fruits and vegetables and a variety of mock meat products. I like to buy tea and spices at my local Asian grocer as well because the selection is usually superior and the prices reasonable. Middle Eastern and Greek grocers can also be a source for exploring new flavors. Look for grape leaves, hummus, tahini, baba ganoush, falafel and grains. Jewish or kosher stores carry a variety of dairy-free items as well, including a variety of products from the popular Kosher Parve brand Tofutti.
Adventist Book Stores
Sharon posted this tip about Adventist book stores in the vegetarian forums. Adventist book centers are a secret wealth of vegetarian mock meat products, frozen vegetarian foods, and TVP. Sharon says, "I went bananas! Not only did they have all the canned items I know and love, they had various forms of TVP that I have not seen for years, (some I have never seen) and their frozen selection was much greater than I have seen in any natural foods store. Besides that, many of the items come in very large size containers, almost food service size." So if there's an Adventist church nearby, find out if they have a store and stock up on vegetarian specialty products!
Online
If there's no health food store in your area, there are a few places online where you can buy just about anything you need for your vegetarian kitchen. A few of the best are Pangea Vegan Store for baking goods, sauces and desserts, textured vegetable protein (TVP) and Vegan Essentials for vegan specialty items, snacks and treats.
This is a little off the subject but I think you like this article by Animal Person called On Veganism as Vegetarianism
that you may or may not
know ..
..DID YOU KNOW...
..
..863 animals die every second..
..pigs are smarter than dogs and three year old children..
..more than half of the water consumed in the U.S. is used to raise livestock..
..vegetarians and vegans live an average 6-10 years longer than a meat eater..
..In every package of chickens there’s a little bit of poop..
..cattle ranching is the number cause of amazonian deforestation..
..a meat eaters risk of developing heart disease is 50% higher than a veg{etari}ans..
..they flavor McDonalds french fries with meat juice..
..vegans save an average of 100 animals a year..
..animals like cows are kept in dark, filthy rooms..
..then they are taken in a metal truck which usually makes the cows sick and then they are killed in the slaughter house consciously..
..birds and chickens are kept in small cages ..
..they are also debeaked with a hot blade so they don’t peck the other animals to death..
..male chickens are either gassed, or suffocated in a bag because they don’t lay eggs when they grow up..
..when cows are done making milk they are killed..
..pigs-farmers cut off a pigs tail so the other pigs tail don’t bite it off due to the fact of the small space..
..when chickens are done laying eggs they are also suffocated in plastic bags..
..Animals are fed drugs so they can grow bigger..
..eating one hamburger uses enough energy to drive a small car 20 miles and take 17 showers..
..cows are excellent mothers..
..sheep can recognize other sheep’s faces and human faces as well..
..goats are very curious and playful, have individual personalities and capable of great affection and loyalty..
..goats intelligence is comparable to that of pigs and dogs..
..if you give an apple or a small ball to a group of turkeys they'll play with it..
..hens and their babies communicate even while the chick is still in the egg..
..A cow must be pregnant in order to give milk... they are artificially inseminated and confined in one stall where they have to stand in their own urine and feces..
..fish grow underwater algae gardens..
..to get milk out of cows farmers use electrical machines and usually the cows bleed and pus comes out so that’s usually that’s what your drinking..
..mad cow disease is in the united states..
..fishing hurts. imagine a hook is stuck through your lips and you are being pulled up rapidly.... Pain right?..
..cows are separated from their moms within 24 hours of birth..
..raising animals for food need more than a third of fossil fuels and raw materials in the U.S...
..Going Veggie does more to stop Global Warming than switching to a hybrid car..
..the U.S has the highest upper limit of milk pus concentration in the world
..
Subject: Iron in a Vegan Diet plus iron rich recipes
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Iron in a Vegan Diet
By Vegan Diet
Many ask if I am anaemic as I do not eat red meat....I am not! You do not have to eat red meat , or any animal product for that matter, to get your daily iron requirement. There are many vegetable sources, for instance dark green leafy vegetables and dried beans contain more iron per calorie/..........kilojoule than meat.
Iron is required in the formation of red blood cells. Lack of iron leads to anaemia which even in a mild form can cause headaches, fatigue, dizzy spells and brittle nails. If not treated severe anaemia can even lead to angina and heart attacks. Iron is also required by the body's enzymes and the immune system for them to function efficiently. Suggested RDA for vegan men and post-............menopausal women is 14 mgs per day and pre-meopausal women 33 mgs per day.
Iron comes in two forms, the easily absorbed heme iron and the less easily absorbed non-heme iron. The vegan plant based diet contains non-heme iron. This causes no problems as vitamin C vastly increases iron absorption therefore by adding fruit or veggies to an iron content food is all that is required. Cooking also increases the amount of available non-haem iron in vegetables. This fact does not affect raw vegans due to their high intake vegetables and fruit.
Another interesting fact on absorbtion is that that iron is stored in the liver and if your stores there are high, your body absorbs less iron and if low your body absorbs more. Note also that calcium and tannins reduce iron absorption so tea, coffee, and calcium supplements should be taken several hours before a meal.
If you opt for an iron supplement take the recommended dosage as too much iron can be dangerous. Take on an empty stomach. Some people have poor reactions to them so taking a "gentle iron" form is found much more preferable or taking a liquid iron tonic made up of extracts from fruit, veggies and herbs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Iron supplements can also cause reactions with certain medicines so check with you pharmacist before taking them.
Examples of veggie iron content (mgs) :
Black beans, cooked - 1 cup - 3.6
Blackstrap molasses - 2 tsp - 2.4
Chickpeas, cooked - 1 cup - 3.2
Figs, dried - 5 med - 2.0
Green beans, boiled - 1 cup - 1.6
Lentils, cooked - 1 cup - 6.6
Oatmeal, cooked - 1 cup - 1.6
Peas, cooked - 1 cup - 2.5
Potato - 1 large - 3.2
Quinoa, cooked - 1 cup - 6.3
Romaine lettuce - 1 cup - 3.4
Soybeans, cooked - 1 cup - 8.8
Spinach, boiled - 1 cup - 6.4
Swiss chard, cooked - 1 cup - 3.7
Tahini - 1 tbsp - 1.4
Tempeh - 1 cup - 3.8
Thyme, dried, ground - 2 tsp 3.6
Tofu, firm 1 cup - 3.6
Tomato, ripe - 1 cup - 4.5
Turmeric, powder - 2 tsp - 1.9
Turnip greens, cooked - 1 cup - 3.2
So it is important to add iron foods daily. This is not hard as a simple bean recipe with fresh tomato sauce or a baby spinach salad with citus juice or fruit can be made in minutes.
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Iron Booster Fruit Smoothie
Excellent for celiac’s and others who suffer from iron deficiency anaemia.
1 cup of apple juice (0.6)
1 cup of prune juice (3.0)
1 medium banana roughly chopped (0.3)
2 tsps Spirulina powder (Brands vary in Iron content) (1.8)
1 teaspoon of magnesium supplement powder * (Optional)
6 ice cubes
Blend and serve. Total Iron content 5.7 mg
*Those suffering from celiac disease may also have trouble with absorbing magnesium. Magnesium deficiency results in your muscles cramping and causes muscle spasms. This smoothie adds a supplement to boost magnesium levels.
Fresh Apple Muffins
Makes 12 muffins (each containing 3.5mgs iron)
3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener
2 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups finely chopped green apple (about 2 medium to large apples)
1 1/2 cups fortified soy- or rice milk
2 tbsps cider vinegar
1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
vegetable oil spray
Preheat oven to 375F/200C. Mix flour, sugar or other sweetener, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Put apples in a large mixing bowl and add non-dairy milk, vinegar, and molasses. Add flour mixture and stir until just mixed, then stir in raisins and walnuts, if using. Spoon batter into vegetable oil sprayed muffin cups, filling to just below tops. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until tops of muffins bounce back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container.
Wilted Spinach Salad with Chickpeas
From Martha Stewart
1 lb/4 cups/450 gms cherry tomatoes
1 lge can 19 oz/540 gms organic chickpeas
4 tbsps olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tbsps vinegar
1 lb/450 gms baby spinach
1/2 cup slivered black olives
Heat broiler. On a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet, toss cherry tomatoes with chickpeas with one tablespoon olive oil; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Broil, tossing occasionally, until tomatoes are slightly charred, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and white-wine vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Add baby spinach, hot vegetables, and black olives. Toss with vinaigrette (spinach will wilt slightly). Serves 4.
More on Iron
Booste Your Iron Intake