Tag Archive for 'vegan'

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Being Veggie in Columbus

December 31, 2006 Closed Tags: , .

* These are not comprehensive lists by any means, just some of my personal favorites around town. For a more complete listing of resources check out VegOhio.com

thanks for not eating meat!

Grocery Stores

  • Clintonville Community Market: A community-operated natural foods grocery. Offers organic and locally produce. Grains, beans, nuts/seeds, herbs, meat and dairy alternatives, vitamins, cruelty-free products, and more. Also have a deli offering vegetarian/vegan items such as sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
  • Raisin Rack: Offers a variety of bulk grains, herbs, nuts/seeds as well as organically grown fruits and vegetables and a complete selection of vitamins, minerals, and herbals nutrients. Deli and smoothie bar offers vegetarian/vegan items.
  • Trader Joe’s: Some organic items & produce, meat and dairy alternatives, vitamins, and more.
  • Whole Foods: The nation’s largest natural and organic food retailer featuring many vegan and vegetarian options, including cruelty-free body care, household cleaning products, organic produce, vegan foods, meat and dairy alternatives, and more.
  • Wild Oats Market: A natural foods market offering a large selection of grocery items, including organic and conventional produce, bulk foods, meat and dairy substitutes, and frozen foods. Deli, juice bar, salad bar, and bakery have several vegan selections.

Restaurants

  • Aladdin’s Eatery: Mediterranean food with many vegetarian and vegan choices: hummus, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, baba ghanouj, smoothies, pita sandwiches/pockets, salads, mujadara (rice with lentils), jasmine rice with vegetables, and more. Meals cost about $6.
  • Benevolence Cafe: Vegetarian café. Most items are vegan. Soups, salads, and bread made from scratch daily. Sandwiches include oven-baked tofu, hummus salad, and vegetarian sloppy joe. A meal costs around $7.00.
  • High Five Bar & Grill: Large selection of clearly marked vegetarian/vegan sandwiches and pizzas. Also offers nightly live music and art gallery.
  • North Star Cafe: Cafe that makes most dishes from scratch with organic ingredients. Vegetarian offerings include the Buddha Bowl, Northstar Burger, and the High Street Veggie. Items indicated on menu can be made vegan upon request. Meals cost about $8.
  • Pattycake Vegan Bakery: Vegan bakery that offers several varieties of cookies, muffins, and cakes made with organic ingredients, no hydrogenated oils, no animal products, and less refined sugars. Items include tollhouse cookies, banana walnut muffins, and chocolate raspberry cake. Gladly accepts special orders and wholesale orders.
  • Taco Ninja: Many vegetarian/vegan items including Big Bad Buddha’s Black Bean Hummus with Chips, Gandhi’s Veggie Burger Burrito and Falafel Salad. Delivery available to OSU campus area. Meals cost around $3-5.

Organizations

  • Central Ohio Vegetarian Society: The Central Ohio Vegetarian Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, operated for charitable and educational purposes to provide support for the growth and development of a vegan lifestyle.
  • Mercy For Animals: a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal advocacy organization that believes non-human animals are irreplaceable individuals who have morally significant interests and hence rights, including the right to live free of unnecessary suffering. MFA is dedicated to promoting nonviolence towards all sentient beings through public education campaigns and demonstrations, undercover investigations, and open rescues.
  • VegOhio.com: the easy guide to vegetarian eating in Ohio, including grocery, organization, and restaurant listings.

Vegetarianism: the Choice of the ‘More Intelligent’ Child

December 18, 2006 0 Comments Tags: .

As well as being brighter, the vegetarians were better educated and of higher social class but the link with intelligence remained statistically significant even after adjusting for these factors. Despite their intelligence they were not wealthier and more likely to be working for charities or in education.

Published on Friday, December 15, 2006 by the Independent/UK, copied from Common Dreams

It’s official – vegetarians really are smarter. But it is not because of what they eat. Bright children are more likely to reject meat and opt to become vegetarians when they grow up, a study has shown. Clever veggies are born not made.

The finding helps explain how a team of vegetarians won the BBC Test the Nation competition in September, when they beat off competition from six other teams including butchers, public school pupils and footballers’ wives to achieve the highest overall IQ score.

The top scoring individual in the contest, Marie Bidmead, 68, a mother of five from Churcham, Gloucester, was also a vegetarian. “I think it shows we veggies are good thinkers. We think about what we eat for a start,” she said.

Researchers from the University of Southampton who conducted the study agree. They suggest that vegetarians are more thoughtful about what they eat. But they say it is unclear whether bright children choose to become vegetarians for the health benefits or for other reasons, such as a concern for animals, or as a lifestyle choice.
Continue reading ‘Vegetarianism: the Choice of the ‘More Intelligent’ Child’

Ohio hunters murdered 39,629 deer on the first day of deer hunting season Monday

November 29, 2006 24 Comments Tags: , , .

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Ohio hunters bagged 39,629 white-tailed deer on the first day of deer-gun season Monday, a slight increase from last year.

Preliminary figures from deer-check stations statewide showed hunters killed 934 more deer than the first day of the 2005 season, wildlife officials said.

The 10 counties yielding the most deer were: Tuscarawas, 1,858; Guernsey, 1,615; Coshocton, 1,503; Washington, 1,451; Holmes, 1,304; Harrison, 1,244; Licking, 1,192; Muskingum, 1,127; Athens, 1,101; and Meigs, 1,054.

In central Ohio, totals reported by the Ohio Division of Wildlife were: Fairfield, 574; Pickaway, 269; Delaware, 232; Franklin, 87; and Madison, 41.

Wildlife officials estimate about 400,000 hunters will kill 115,000 to 120,000 deer during the nine-day deer-gun season.

Is this something to be proud of? Of insecure men toting guns and killing 40,000 innocent animals who are just trying to survive on the land they occupied first? This will be a very sad nine days for Ohio. I will never understand hunting.

One of the most illogical pro-hunting statements I hear and see often is that hunting is a sport.

One definition of “sport” is “an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition.” Where exactly is the competition? Using high-tech equipment to locate and shoot an innocent animal who has no way to defend itself is not competition. Give the deer a gun and then it may be closer to a sport. Until then, you are not a sportsman. You are a violent killer with an ego who is insecure in your masculinity.

Some people hunt for sustenance. That’s fine and I could understand that, that’s how it was for many native settlers in this country. But I’m willing to bet the 40,000 deer killed on Monday were not killed to feed a family.

The claim that hunters take pride in their kills because they respect and admire the beautiful animal is complete crap.

Out of respect you kill it? What kind of fu–ed up logic is that?! So I should kill my whole family and all my friends and hang their heads on my wall? Do hunters know how ridiculous they sound when they say that?

There have already been a couple stories of hunters getting injured or killed, including a highway driver who was shot by a hunter shooting too close. Not that I want anyone to get hurt or killed, but really, times that pain by 120,000 and you’ll see how the deer feel. It’s not fun getting shot is it?

This whole thing is disgusting and overwhelmingly sad for me. It feels like another step back in morality and humanity.

The sad day that is Thanksgiving

November 22, 2006 1 Comment Tags: .

Ahhh another Thanksgiving is here again. A day when 45 million turkeys are killed so Americans can uphold another holiday tradition. Another day that reaffirms my desire to never eat meat again. Another holiday where I have to explain to my extended family members that I will not starve by not eating meat, that I have plenty of other things to eat at Thanksgiving besides the flesh of a bird corpse. But there are still millions of families who can’t wait to sink their teeth into a big bite of juicy turkey. For them I would like to share some things…

How Does that Yummy and Juicy Turkey Get to Your Table?

This is a video that shows you exactly how that delicious Butterball arrives on your plate. And if you can’t stomach watching it, how in the world can you stomach eating it? It’s called cognitive dissonance…

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Eat Turkeys

  1. They’re Begging Your Pardon
    Turkeys are “smart animals with personality and character, and keen awareness of their surroundings,” Oregon State University poultry scientist Tom Savage says. Turkeys are social, playful birds who enjoy the company of others. They relish having their feathers stroked and like to chirp, cluck, and gobble along to their favorite tunes. Anyone who spends time with them at farm sanctuaries quickly learns that turkeys are as varied in personality as dogs and cats. The president “pardons” a turkey every year—can’t you pardon one too?
  2. Get Rid of Your Wattle
    Turkey flesh is brimming with fat. Just one homemade patty of ground, cooked turkey meat contains a whopping 244 mg of cholesterol, and half of its calories come from fat. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters. Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are.
  3. Can You Spell ‘Pandemic’?
    Experts are warning that a virulent new strain of bird flu could spread to human beings and kill millions of Americans. The Bush administration is trying to deal with the problem, but experts warn that current factory-farm conditions, in which turkeys are drugged up and bred to grow so quickly they can barely walk, are a prescription for disease outbreaks. Eating a turkey carcass contaminated with bird flu could kill you, and currently available drugs might not work. Cooking should kill the virus, but it could be left behind on cutting boards and utensils and spread through something else you’re eating.

    4. Continue reading ‘The sad day that is Thanksgiving’

George W. Bush has done something I actually agree with.

October 20, 2006 0 Comments Tags: , .

I can finally say this blog is not all anti-Bush because of this post. Turns out that even though Bush isn’t so fond of human rights, there’s at least a little place in his frozen heart for animal rights.

President Bush Signs Animal Disaster Bill — Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act makes pets part of emergency planning

SACRAMENTO, CA (October 6, 2006) – United Animal Nations, the organization that pioneered disaster relief for animals nearly 20 years ago, today commended President George Bush for signing a measure that will save both human and animal lives when disaster strikes. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act requires state and local agencies to include provisions for people with pets or service animals to safely evacuate with their animals in the event of a disaster.

“We applaud President Bush for signing this sweeping bill that enables agencies throughout the country to better care for animals during emergencies,” said UAN President and CEO Nicole Forsyth. “As we saw after Hurricane Katrina, both humans and animals suffer needlessly when emergency plans fail to include pets.”

Recent surveys show that as many as two-thirds of Americans would refuse to evacuate if they had nowhere to bring their pets. Because Red Cross shelters do not allow animals, many pet owners have limited options when disasters force them from their homes. People who leave pets behind often try to rescue them later, further jeopardizing their safety and hampering relief efforts.

“Given the bond between people and their pets, a disaster plan that doesn’t include animals in simply incomplete,” Forsyth said. “With the PETS Act now signed into law, there is hope that people will never be forced to make the difficult and heartbreaking decision to leave their pets behind to save their own lives.”

The PETS Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Chris Shays (R-Conn.), and in the U.S. Senate by Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). It was approved unanimously by the Senate on August 4 and by the House of Representatives on September 20.

About the PETS Act:

  • Requires local and state emergency preparedness authorities that receive FEMA funding to include provisions for pets and service animals in their disaster plans
  • Grants FEMA the authority to assist states and local communities in developing such plans
  • Authorizes federal funds to help create pet-friendly emergency shelters
  • Allows FEMA to provide assistance for individuals with pets and service animals, and the animals themselves, following a major disaster.

About UAN:

Through its volunteer-driven Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS), UAN provides free emergency sheltering and disaster relief services for animals in communities that become overwhelmed by natural disasters or other crises, as well as free disaster planning assistance. Since 1987, UAN has responded to 70 disasters, saving thousands of animal lives. UAN spent more than two months in the Gulf Region after Hurricane Katrina, deploying more than 400 volunteers to help 2,100 animals at six shelters in three states. With more than 2,600 trained EARS volunteers in the United States and Canada, UAN can respond to a crisis that puts animals at risk within 24 hours of receiving an official request for assistance.

Now celebrating its 20th year, United Animal Nations (UAN) is North America’s leading provider of emergency animal sheltering and disaster relief services and a key advocate for the critical needs of animals.

Animal rights protest against Bexley restaurant tomorrow @ 5:45p

August 31, 2006 0 Comments Tags: , .

Tomorrow, Friday, September 1st, from 5:45-7 p.m. in front of Bexley Monk (2232 E. Main St., Bexley, Ohio 43209).

Last week, Bexley Monk, regarded as one of Columbus finest dining establishments, added foie gras to its menu in protest of a newly enacted ban on the product in Chicago.

What is foie gras?

force-feeding ducks to make fois gras
It’s the over-sized, diseased liver from which pate is made. Workers force a long, metal tube down ducks and geese’s necks directly into their stomachs where they pump large amounts of food – so much food that sometimes their stomachs explode, or the rod punctures through their neck.

Delicious delicacy, or complete cruelty?

Please join me and other local activists with Mercy for Animals and PETA in speaking up against the forced feeding torture that both ducks and geese suffer through. Show the Bexley Monk customers what they’re really eating!!

For more information please visit PETA’s website on foie gras or contact Mercy for Animals at info@mercyforanimals.org.

Also, please call and write the restaurant to voice your disapproval:
phone: 614-239-6665, e-mail (Bob Monica): Bob@BexleysMonk.com.

Update 09/03/06:

Mercy For Animals’ Executive Director Nathan Runkle had his editorial letter about the foie gras issue published in Sunday’s Columbus Dispatch, check it out. Props to the Dispatch for publishing this!!

McDonald’s Salads, is Your Heart Lovin’ It?

August 30, 2006 0 Comments Tags: .

An interesting report has been produced by the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. The report rates 34 examples of fast food’s latest craze: salads.

“Fast food salad”, you said? Yeah. Makes about as much sense as the fitness DVD’s McDonald’s was selling. But it’s true: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, they’re all pushing hip and trendy salads in a feeble attempt to make you think you can actually eat something healthy at a fast food joint. There are a few green leafy things in the bowl, yes, but once you drop a couple pounds of fatty meat on it, how healthy are these salads really?

McDonald’s Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad, 51 grams of fat, 660 calories

McDonald’s Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad [with dressing] has 51 grams of fat and 660 calories!

For some comparison, a Big Mac has 34 grams of fat and 590 calories. So you’d actually be better eating the Big Mac.

My favorite part of this report:

“Real salads with plenty of fresh veggies and chickpeas or beans for protein are best for heart health and slimming.”

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but covering some wilted and pale lettuce with chicken and bacon doesn’t make a salad healthy. It makes your arteries very sad and congested. The chickens and pigs don’t like it either.

Indeed, a vegetarian/vegan salad is the best way to go. Okay so I probably can’t make you go vegetarian just by saying that. But how ’bout this– if you’re going to get fast food, at least get something really greasy and indulging. Don’t kid yourself with the salad.