The Garden of Vegan
According to creation theory, humans were vegan long before we turned to a sinful diet of dead animals. The religions of Buddhists, Hindus, Seventh Day Adventists, Jains, and Rastafarians unambiguously assert that meat is never permissible, and admonish their followers to harm no animal, and to treat the body as a temple by ingesting healthy, non-animal based foods. If you are a follower of Judaism, Christianity or Islam, look no further than the Garden of Eden. It was a vegan haven, and Adam and Eve were the first vegans on this planet.
It's very revealing to examine how each society, culture, race, religion and ethnicity justifies eating certain animals, denying them their inherent right to be happy and free, while attempting to never harm other animals that they've arbitrarily decided to protect. If people from all nationalities, races, religions, and creeds ever got together for a meal, only veganism could yield a meal that wouldn't offend. At this table of peace, Americans would say, "We're not eating dogs, cats and horses!" Muslims and Orthodox Jews would say, "You're not feeding us pigs!" Indians would say, "We're not eating cows!" Seventh Day Adventists, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, and Rastafarians would rule out all the other animals and animal products because they're all vegetarians or vegans. The only things left to eat that everybody could agree upon would be fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes.
Veganism can resurrect Eden and create heaven on Earth. We can have a place where humans view animals in awe, and animals view humans with a curious aloofness. It's time to reconnect to the natural world for the sake of the animals, the environment and humanity. Protecting the weak is the first step to enlightenment and being truly civilized. Without animal liberation, as author Milan Kundera explains, there can be no peace on Earth: "Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test which lies deeply buried from view, consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it."
- Gary Yourofsky -
In response to animal welfare, health, and ecological concerns, compassionate people everywhere are adopting a vegan diet.
Making the Transition to Veganism
Many people find the transition to veganism easy, but some people have a hard time with it. A few make the transition overnight; for others, it will be a gradual process spanning weeks, months, even a year or more.
Old habits are hard to break, and new habits can be hard to form. I went vegetarian for a year in 1995 before I went vegan on July 24, 1996. The only thing to keep in mind is to get to the state of total veganism sooner rather than later. The animals are counting on it, especially cows on dairy farms and hens on egg farms. As I've already said on countless occasions, and on this website, the beef and dairy industries are inextricably linked, as are the chicken and egg industries. Dairy cows who can no longer produce milk profitably, and hens who can no longer lay eggs, are sent IMMEDIATELY to slaughter. And that's not even to account for their misery while they're imprisoned, tortured, inseminated, and forced to act as egg- and milk-producing machines. Therefore, even if you consume no meat, there is NO way you can cause little impact when consuming milk and eggs. Don't be fooled by claims to the contrary.
Furthermore, don't buy into the agriculture industries' self-contradicting language suggesting that their products have been "farmed humanely." Terms like "free-range," "cage-free," "grass-fed," and "organic" are only advertising scams to trick people into buying cruel, deadly products. The aforesaid labels don't benefit the animals; they only make meat-eaters sleep better, by making them think that these murdered animals were happy and well cared for.
Start eating a variety of fruits in the morning for breakfast. Or go buy some TOFUTTI cream cheese and some bagels. Nearly all the bagels at Bruegger's and Tim Horton's are vegan except for the egg and cheese/asiago ones. There are plenty of vegan bagels at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Sheetz, too (check out the VEGAN BREAD section on the Veg Shopping Guide page). I like to eat several different berries in the morning: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. At some point during the day, I also try to eat a banana, watermelon, peach, plum or orange. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a bagel is a great way to start the day as well. PB&J works for lunch, too. For lunch, have a veggie burger instead of a hamburger. The soy meats are easy to cook. Put the same toppings on them as well. Tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts, cucumbers, pickles and mustard or ketchup or MY FAVORITE— VEGANAISE! It is soy mayo and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD! For dinner, eat some ethnic foods. Get the Aloo Gobi (cauliflower) or Aloo Palak (spinach), or Chana Masala (chick peas) at an Indian restaurant. Make sure there is NO cheese or cream, of course. Or get some falafel and hummus and tabouli and fatoush at a Middle Eastern place. Eat pasta or spaghetti at an Italian restaurant. Just inquire which noodles have NO eggs in them. And of course add vegetables like broccoli or mushrooms with some garlic, too. Hit those Asian places and substitute tofu for the meat. Make sure to tell them to cook it without fish and oyster sauce. Check out the Veg-Friendly Restaurants page on this site as well.
Sometimes it takes extra effort to care, but I am always willing to put in extra effort to make sure OTHERS don't suffer and die for me. If the cafeteria at your school isn't offering enough veg food, get some students together and walk into the cafeteria office and ASK for more veg food. No need to scream or yell or protest, just peacefully demand that they cater to you and your fellow vegetarians/vegans. Rice and beans are super cheap, too, and easy to cook. And so are lentils. You might sometimes have to bring to school a lunch or dinner that you made at home, thereby consuming valuable time that you might have spent studying, or partying; but consider the victim's point of view. If YOU were destined to be imprisoned, enslaved, tortured, and finally killed, wouldn't you pray that somebody else would make that effort so you don't have to suffer and die?
Don't forget about the veggie sub at Subway (order it on Italian bread). Order the bean burrito without cheese at Taco Bell, too. It is the cheapest fast-food item around, and it's vegan. The veggie sub at Subway is also the cheapest item on their menu. If you order a cheeseless pizza at Papa John's (their sauce and dough are vegan), it is the same price as a pizza with cheese. When eating at ethnic restaurants, you'll find that their vegan items are the same price or cheaper than the meat entrées. So there is no extra expense there.
Veganism is easy as pie once you get used to it. So keep thinking compassionately and logically about this issue and you will be vegan before you know it.
Let me just add this for clarity's sake about dealing with people who might give you a hard time with your new lifestyle. Unethical people—whether they are friends, family members, or strangers—should not be advising ethical people on how to live their lives. You need to do what you now know to be true. So don't let others bring you down. Misery loves company; those who still eat flesh are drowning in misery, and would love some company. So stay strong. The animals are counting on you to make compassionate decisions. When people spew inanities, such as, "it's my right to eat meat" or "you vegans are so judgmental", give them an eye-opening dose of Freelee, an amazing activist from Australia, or simply reiterate what she said.
I do have some bad news, though. Friends and family ARE the toughest people to talk to about veganism. Naturally, this hurts the most because they are the closest to us. But there is hope. My father made the transition to veganism in 2002, almost five years after we stopped discussing the issue. So you never know when logic will break through.
The text above is part of an essay written by Gary Yourofsky, to read the entire article and even more about veganism, please click here!