joelbct

Well that is a conundrum. I didn't mean to insult anyone, but with the puppy coming into our house, I certainly had to ask myself the question of whether I wanted 20-40 animals to suffer and die each year in factory farms and slaughterhouses, so that I can feed him animal-based food. This is coming from someone who was inspired to Veganism several years ago by slaughterhouse and factory farming expose films, like 'Meat your Meat.' After watching that footage, I would have a very hard time buying any meat product, whether it is going to myself or my pet. Now if I myself had owned a cat before I went vegan, no I wouldn't put it down, but my compassion for the animals suffering in those unspeakable factory farms would certainly force me to phase the cat onto an AAFCO approved, veterinary-tested vegetable cat food, with appropriate supplements and after doing plenty of research on the matter. I think that is clearly the course that yields the least suffering all around. You could say this is not in keeping with their ancestral fare, and an 'unnatural' diet for the cat, but so is Meow Mix. Evolution has regularly seen descendants of carnivores become herbivores, and visa versa, and 10,000 years of domestication means that cats are pretty far from the 'natural' diet of their ancestors anyway.

Thanks Veginator- This dog is not 100% mine, so he will not be able to be 100% vegan anyway (I tried), but I am aware of the carnitine and taurine issue- many vegan dog foods have those included, among other supplements. From what I have read, despite lack of Veterinary education on the issue, Veg dogs live healthier lives than factory-farmed-meat-eating-Dogs. Alas, Veterinary science is muchly in the pockets of the Meat industry, as is clear from the dockets and pending legislation commentary at the FDA and US Agriculture Department websites... very sad. Cats, I think particularly male cats, have a harder time due to urinary tract issues, and probably shouldn't be Vegan. So I suppose ethical Vegans probably shouldn't own Cats... c'est la vie! And VeganEssentials, thanks, I already placed an order from V-Dogs, and one from Amazon for "Sam's Yams' veggie rawhide, but I will def stop by veganessentials for my next order. Cheers-

I agree. Besides, there is as much animal-agriculture propaganda at Medical Schools as there is everywhere else...

Hey, long time no post... hope everyone is well in vegan-athlete-internet-land! So my housemates brought home a puppy, he is not 100% vegan but if I am to feed him, I need vegan products... can anyone recommend a good vendor or brand of Plant-based/Vegan Dog food, and non-animal product chew toys? I did find a good vegan dog treat, Petgaurd "Mr. Pugsly's Vegetarian Dog Biscuits..." But no luck on the vegan dry dog food front yet... Thank you! -Joel (and Jasper, below!) http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/joelbct/Hammock2.jpg

I use Tom's of Maine and Whole Foods stuff... I also use Kiehl's because I had thought they did not test on animals, but I am not sure anymore, anyone know?

Thanks DV, those look great. Where do you order them? I didn't see a retail option on the manufacture's website. I have seen Solaray in Whole Foods and on sites like luckyvitamin.com, but haven't found the veglife...

Does anyone know of a good Veg (non-animal-sourced) Mineral Capsule Formula? I have been taking the Solgar Veg multi vitamin, but I would like a veg mineral supplement for the calcium, magnesium, etc- I usually take about 1/2 or 1/3 of what the bottle recommends, ie 2 capsules if they say take 6, but I like to get at least some added minerals to supplement my diet, and I think the jarrow mineral capsules I have been taking aren't specifically Vegan- Thanks

So I have been jogging and doing light free weights and calisthenics for the past 6 months, but no gym-going, and haven't been eating to gain mass, so I have dropped 10 pounds or so. I will have regular convenient access to a gym again starting in 12 days, so I plan to get back to serious training with an eye towards gaining muscle mass (I am slim by genetic default, but gain significant lean muscle when I work at it). Any tips for resuming training after a break? Maybe I just need reminders... I am certainly looking forwards to pull-ups/chin-ups, and chest presses... It's like my muscles are HUNGRY for a real workout...

That is how I am thinking All this time I had been boycotting facebook, like I thought I was too cool for it, and now I prefer it to Myspace after just 2 weeks! I dig the "I am Vegan" app....

So after just a few days of Facebook, I deleted my Myspace account. Facebook has gotten some bad press, but I think it is a better app for my purposes. No spam, far fewer advertisements, and the interface is much more pleasant. And some of the user-generated 'apps" are pretty cool and amusing. The controversy over privacy has gotten some press, but Facebook is very very customizable in terms of who sees what, moreso than Myspace. As with anything computer related, just don't install everything you see, and do tweak the options so your cyber-life isn't an open book. Myspace is still good for publicity and PR I think, but Facebook seems better for college campuses, companies, and actual social use. And I like the 'I am Vegan' app

You can search without knowing what network someone is in. Just go to networks > search > more search options, and plug in the name under companies, and leave the companies field blank. That's how I found Robert. I think the point of the whole networks thing is to keep Facebook somewhat anchored in real life.

Thanks for the friend adds. Gotta represent the vegan-ness on the inter-net. I had previousely shyed away from Facebook, because the older sister of the harvard kid who started it was on my bus in high school, and she was a bit off-putting in subtle ways. So I think I had a subconscious distaste for Facebook. But so far it seems less commercial than myspace, which is nice.

Anyone here on facebook? I just signed up... not sure how to link on it, but i am joel berry at purchase college...

I made dried apples with the white stackable nesco dehydrator. Absolutely delicious, soo much better than storebought. Here is the link for the nesco dehydrator cookbook, with instructions: http://www.nesco.com/files/pdf/dehydrator_cookbook__digest_.pdf The key is follow the instructions. Timing and even slicing are key. Also, pre-soak apple slices in a vitamin c solution to prevent them from turning brown. Buy ascorbic acid (vitamin c) powder at a health food store or online. Apples work best when you peel them as well. And buying an apple corer saves time. Obviously, best to start with fresh, in season apples. Green ones work the best for dehydrating. The whole process takes a little while, but once you get into the swing of things, it goes quickly, and the results are well worth it.

Got my total cholesterol results back, 131. Anyone else had their's tested since becoming vegan? Given some members of my family have over 200, I think the vegan diet helps me. And I guess next time I have to ask for the HDL/LDL specific tests. Also, I did not fast completely. Had about 1/3 of a vegan organic food bar about 1.5 hours before the test. Only 70 calories. Anyone know if or how this would effect the results?

Yeah, when I first went vegan, I ate tofutti and bagels every other day... Lately, I buy a tub every other month or so... I will get cholesterol-testing results back tomorrow, I will post. I am interested in the results.

Being a New Yorker, what with all the awesome bagels around here, I do eat the occasional bagel with tofutti 'better than cream cheese,' which is kind of yummy, if a processed food. Other than that exception, the vegan cheese analogues I have tried are terrible, and the concept of cheese is something I no longer desire anyway. Curdled cow bodily secretions... Yum... lol... Rather not eat anything even trying to taste like that When I am craving a high fat and protein snack, I often eat cashew butter on crackers...

Watched it today, anyone else see this? It comes across from a pretty journalistic, relatively objective perspective, and at times seems compassionate to the animals, at times, just slightly mocking of and shocked by Newkirk. They did, at least, give Newkirk a fair chance to state her views and beliefs, although probably at times took her out of context to make her look slightly absurd. Bill Maher came across very well, as sane, professional, but deeply concerned. Reps of more moderate animal rights groups were featured criticizing PETA for doing more harm than good, by giving the AR opponents the chance to characterize AR activists as nuts and extremists... Personally, I think the cause is best benefitted by a broad spectrum of groups, from HSUS-type pet groups, to peta, to even more radical groups, and everything in between... And I suppose the fact remains, most people have heard of PETA, and PETA has effected tangible change. I'm not sure the same can be said for many of those more moderate groups....

Hello all, So I emailed the Moleskin company a while ago, they are Italian apparently, and never heard a response. Does anyone know whether they are made from animal skin, or synthetic material? I guess I'd been needing a palm pilot anyway... -Joel

Robert, do you think it's just Oregon maybe? I could see how Oregon vegans might be extreme on the "reject-everything-about-mainstream-society" front. I myself am not anti-America or anti-West, on the whole. I do think we need to re-emphasize the importance of the environment, plurality, separation of church and state, power of Congress to withhold war funding, etc. But while America and Western culture is not perfect, compared to the extremes of corruption and nonexistent human rights in many countries, there is much that is exceptional and valuable about American values, government, and society. We that live here or in most of the West are very, very fortunate on the whole, compared to many of the world's less-advantaged people. I think it's possible to be Vegan, progressive on certain other issues, but still recognize the worth of many of the established values and customs of our Western Culture.

Yah, mine too. Excellent approach. My friends say I should have Facebook, but I kind of boycott it... The older sister of the kid who founded it was on my bus in middle and high school, and she was rather annoying...

OK, this doesn't have anything to do with veganism, except by the stretch that veganism fosters creation instead of destruction, and art is also creation... But isn't this piece cool? Just bought it last weekend, it was a bargain! http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/joelbct/Respect.jpg

Yeah, I know, right? The news piece I saw was infuriating... I think it is probably best for the Animal Rights movement to have several branches, some polite, and some more confrontational- I think actual footage like the Meat Your Meat documentaries was the most powerful tool in my own road to veganism... Update: Chick-Fil-let never responded to my email, so I emailed them again with this link: http://www.factoryfarming.com/gallery/photos_poultry.htm

Yes, that was interesting, I was not aware quite of the extent of the harsh treatment of bees. I guess the solution here is trying to keep the process as close to nature as possible, and treat the bees kindly, given that humans depend on agriculture to survive. Perhaps insects are not conscious and are more akin to robots, but the fact is, they do have nervous systems, and why not err on the side of compassion and minimize our harming of bees? I suspect that they must have at least some awareness of pain and stress, else, how could they survive? The intelligent response to the anti-veganism argument that insects and other animals are killed even during agriculture, is as follows: Yes, by definition, our existence will cause some amount of suffering, either directly or indirectly. But it is a logical fallacy to conclude that because our lives cause SOME suffering, that we shouldn't attempt to MINIMIZE that suffering, and thus to eat plants instead of animals, reduce our environmental footprint, etc.

Thanks for all the advice- I went with Montrail's Continental Divide, which I picked up from Moo Shoes in Manhattan yesterday. Will use as a general-purpose walking shoe. Very comfy and well-constructed, looks like they will hold up quite well. Yay, new vegan shoes!