Veganism and choices about non-vegan based medications/prescriptions October 27, 2009

I remember I was in a bicycle accident a few years ago and needed stitches because the under part of my bike sliced up my leg.  After getting stitched up in the ER, the doctor asked me, “When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?” I told her it had been about 11 or 12 years. She told me that I needed one immediately. After about 5 minutes of her telling me why I should get it (versus me knowing that animal products are used in it), I decided to do it. Though I did make the conscious choice for stitches that were removable (versus the animal based ones that are absorbed into the system), it bothered me about making the conscious choice about getting the tet shot. I wonder if I was really at danger. What would have happened had I not done it? Was the doctor really valid in her concerns? Was I simply giving in to ignorant fear and probably not thinking too clearly because I was still in shock from the bike accident?

The other year, a good friend of mine had emergency root canal surgery. A strict raw foods vegan, he was torn about getting a prescription for a heavy antibiotic in which the caps were not vegan. He and I asked the pharmacist if she could order a vegan capsule for him, but they were not able to find it. Ultimately, he decided to take it, but felt really horrible about it.

How does one negotiate these situations? Many people who practice veganism also rely on medications, prescriptions, etc that were developed using animal ingredients and/or experimented on animals. This is not a judgmental question, just a question I have because I have a lot of people telling me they are 100% vegan in lifestyle, but I am wondering what “100%” really means. Is that possible for many people, when dealing with reliance on prescriptions, medications, surgery, etc? Please share your story or thoughts on this.

Best,

Breeze

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Quick & Easy Vegan Comfort Food Cookbook Giveaway October 15, 2009

Greetings!

I’m excited to announce the release of my first cookbook Quick & Easy Vegan Comfort Food. Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food is perfect for new vegans, long-time vegans, or meat eaters trying to bring more healthful options into their diets. Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food has more than 150 go-to recipes for those looking for the tastes of home. The book opens by debunking myths that sometimes get in the way of eating vegan and introduces readers to favorite ingredients, cooking tools, and my love of quick, easy and tasty veganized comfort classics.

Dishes include Southern favorites such as Fried Chik’n Seitan, Collard Greens and Sweet Potato pie, Midwestern Tuno Casserole and Sloppy Josephs, while recipes for Black Bean Enchiladas and Fool Your Friends Tacos represent the Southwestern classics. There’s something for everyone and best of all, it is all animal-free.

 

Head to the Vegan Guinea Pig Blog and enter to win a free copy of Quick & Easy Vegan Comfort Food just by leaving a comment and telling me what your favorite comfort food is. Good Luck and thanks for your support!

Vegetarian Meat…

Ran across this journal article this morning and wonder what people think about this concept.I have the entire pdf. Email me at breezeharper (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Journal of Agric Environ Ethics (2008) 21:579–596
Vegetarian Meat: Could Technology Save Animals and Satisfy Meat Eaters?
Patrick D. Hopkins and Austin Dacey

Abstract    Between people who unabashedly support eating meat and those who adopt moral vegetarianism, lie a number of people who are uncomfortably carnivorous and vaguely wish they could be vegetarians. Opposing animal suffering in principle, they can ignore it in practice, relying on the visual disconnect between supermarket meat and slaughterhouse practices not to trigger their moral emotions. But what if we could have the best of both worlds in reality—eat meat and not harm animals? The nascent bio- technology of tissue culture, originally researched for medical applications, holds out just such a promise. Meat could be grown in vitro without killing animals. In fact, this technology may not just be an intriguing option, but might be our moral obligation to develop.

Sofrito Pa’ Ti vegan recipe zine October 12, 2009

Hi, my name is Noemi. I blog occasionally here at vegans of color and write zines, do community work & am a legal worker assisting survivors of domestic violence.  My blog & writing can be found at http://www.hermanaresist.com

I’m compiling a vegan recipe zine, “Sofrito Pa’ Ti.”  I’m a Puerto Rican/Mexican single mom, alternative media activist & writer living in south texas and I love to bake & cook. It’ll be focused on how to cook when you don’t have a traditional stove (which we don’t)-so we cook w/ electric skillets, microwave, slow cookers, tea pot (boil water for oatmeal or pasta!) and a counter toaster oven. A smaller version of this was available at this year’s Allied Media Conference and now I want to expand it and include more recipes. If you’d like to submit your vegan recipes, send up to 3 to csdistro (at) gmail dot com. Include your name, email, mailing address and a brief bio, include your email or site in your bio if you’d like it to be included in the zine.
Deadline-shall we aim for Dec 15th?

Email me if you have any questions *I don’t have internet access at home so I wouldn’t be able to respond to replies here in a timely fashion.

Gracias