Category: Cruelty-free

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Give your views on bird welfare at the Bloedel Conservatory

The City of Vancouver is asking for public comment on the future of the Bloedel Conservatory, which houses more than 120 exotic birds. The Talk Vancouver survey (for which you need to register) provides an opportunity to ask the conservatory to ensure that the birds’ welfare is a priority in future plans. (The Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association are collaborating to develop a joint strategic plan for VanDusen Garden and Bloedel Conservatory.) The survey closes February 10.

Specifically, you can ask that when birds are caged (as some birds are when introduced to the conservatory) they are provided with an enriched environment that meets their species-specific needs (e.g toys, puzzles, novel items, opportunity to bathe) to enhance their psychological welfare during this stressful transition time. Your views can help make sure exotic bird welfare is not forgotten in the Bloedel Conservatory’s strategic plan.

It’s important to note that the Conservatory’s website states that all the birds there “have either been directly donated to the Conservatory from homes that can no longer keep them or have been adopted from the GreyHaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary.”

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Are women and young people the best hope for fighting animal cruelty?

A recent poll of Canadians about a range of animal issues is cause for optimism in the animal protection movement.

The poll, by respected polling company Research Co., found that majorities of Canadians are opposed to using animals in rodeos (59%); hunting animals for sport (85%); keeping animals in zoos or aquariums (52%) and killing animals for their fur (75%).

These results are encouraging but they may contain even more positive news when the survey sample is broken down by age and gender.

On a number of these issues, higher percentages of women and younger people oppose the exploitation of animals (which is consistent with other polling on animal issues). For example, while 59% of all Canadians oppose using animals in rodeos, 67% of women and 64% of people aged 18-34 take that position. Similarly, while 52% of Canadians oppose keeping animals in zoos and aquariums, 56% of women and 56% of the 18-34 age group are opposed.

Even on the animal-related issue of eating meat, where a significant minority of Canadians (19%) oppose eating animals, the poll found opposition higher among women (22%) and those aged 18-34 (25%).

On a number of animal welfare issues polling shows greater opposition to animal exploitation among younger people.

All this may bode well for animals in the future, as the younger generation moves up the demographic ladder and replaces the older generation.

The same may be true of the support for animal welfare from women, but this could depend on whether women continue to gain more social power and status in fields such as politics and media. Progress in these areas has been slow.

In October 2019, Canada elected 98 women to the federal House of Commons. Women now represent 29% of the 338 elected Members of Parliament, up from 27% in the last parliament.  However, a recent report found that, based on the rate of change over the last five federal elections, it will take 87 years before gender parity is reached in our national elected chamber. There are currently no female provincial premiers.  Another study found that women accounted for just 29% of all people quoted in major Canadian media, compared to 71% for men.

While polls show women tend to be more supportive of animal welfare, the gender gap in politics and media suggests their voices may not be heard in the public discourse on animal issues. This photo of current provincial premiers illustrates why that might be the case.

If women and younger people gain stronger voices in Canada’s public discourse, it’s possible that animal welfare issues will garner more attention, and the opposition to the abuse and exploitation of animals will grow.  If so, the future for animals might be brighter than we think.

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Help us build a kinder community for animals on Giving Tuesday!

The Vancouver Humane Society and The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary are partnering to raise funds to help animals now and in the future.

Every year in Canada, more than 800 million animals are raised on cruel factory farms before they are sent for slaughter. They suffer from confinement and from being denied the chance to live and behave naturally.  Yet science has shown that each animal, just like your pet cat or dog, has his or her own unique personality. That’s why we say every animal is someone, not something.

This year, on Giving Tuesday, December 3rd, we are again partnering with The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary to make life better for farmed animals.  Giving Tuesday is the annual opportunity to put your dollars toward a cause that’s near and dear to your heart – this year, we hope you’ll make it the plight of animals on factory farms.  All donations will be split between both charities.

At VHS, we work year-round to draw public and media attention to the treatment of farmed animals. Our Go Veg campaign encourages people to try a plant-based diet, which reduces the demand that drives factory farming. We’ve recently launched our new Plant-Based Plates initiative which builds on the success of our Meatless Monday project. Our programs have helped institutions rethink the role of plants on the plate and improve access to climate-friendly, healthy and humane options on menus. Through menu planning and culinary support, we assist institutions, such as schools, businesses and healthcare providers, in incorporating new and trendy plant-based dishes that help them meet client demand and reflect their commitment to protecting the planet, public health and animal welfare.  And our rodeo campaign is exposing cruelty and showing that “livestock” are not just commodities to be brutalized for entertainment, but sentient animals capable of feeling physical and emotional pain.

Our partners at The Happy Herd Farm Sanctuary have shown how rescued farmed animals, free of cruelty and confinement, can flourish as individuals. The sanctuary provides a forever home for all types of animals where they can live out their entire lives in a beautiful, natural setting where they are treated with kindness and respect. Visiting Happy Herd and meeting the animals can be a life-changing experience. You will quickly see them as “friends, not food.”

On December 3rd (and before!), you can donate directly to our joint appeal, but you can also help by supporting the generous (and cruelty-free) local businesses who are partnering with VHS and Happy Herd. On Giving Tuesday, they will be launching a variety of special offers and promotions, all raising funds to help us help animals.  Watch our website and social media channels for updates as we get closer to December 3rd– or sign up for our action alerts.

Giving Tuesday is your chance to make life better for farmed animals.  Don’t miss it!

 

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Faux Meat Burgers And Your Health: Facts And Fallacies

A guest blog post by Dr. Chana Davis (PhD in genetics) of Fueled by Science

Check out more of Chana’s work on her website, instagram and facebook pages.

Restaurants and grocers across the country are struggling to meet the demand for the hottest new food trend: plant-based burgers. These new kids on the butcher’s block meld features of meat with those of plants in an unlikely marriage and are being sold alongside their muses in the meat case.

At the same time, these burgers are also facing a lot of skepticism and criticism. Can something that tastes so good also be good for you? Can meat lovers truly have their cake and eat it too — reduce their red meat intake, increase their veggie intake, all while enjoying a decadent burger??

Are fake meat burgers healthy?

This article takes a science-based look at plant-based burgers and your health and examines many common concerns including: safety of novel ingredients (soy leghemoglobin), number of ingredients, use of additives, and label as a processed food.

Warning! You may find that you need to rethink some of your favourite rules of thumb for choosing healthy foods.

Plant-Based “Meat” Is Not A Viable Replacement For Whole Vegetables.

Why not? Whole veggies are loaded with fiber, one of the most critical, yet under-consumed nutrients. We need dietary fiber to keep our systems running smoothly and to feed the little bugs in our gut that keep us healthy. Plant-based burgers score slightly better on fiber than meat (a big fat zero) but are still sadly lacking. 

Whether we’re talking about heart health, cancer, diabetes, or obesity, the message is loud and clear: eat your veggies! A good rule of thumb is to fill half of your plate with (whole) fruits and veggies (see Canada Food Guide). Don’t forget to eat a diversity of fruits and veggies to get the full rainbow of micronutrients that they offer.

Faux Meat Provides The Same Nutritional Benefits As Ground Beef

Compared to typical ground beef (20% fat or more), plant-based burgers provide similar amounts of:

  • calories (~250-280 calories)
  • high quality protein (20 grams per patty)
  • iron (~16%-25% bioavailable)
  • other micronutrients (*Varies by brand. The Impossible Burger from Impossible Foods dials up the zinc and B vitamins including Vitamin B12. Beyond Meat does not [yet].)

Much ado about sodium

Plant-based burgers have been criticized for their sodium content. While this criticism is technically valid, it lacks appropriate context. A typical beef patty contains about 80 mg of sodium, whereas plant-based burgers land at around ~370 mg. In most cases, this sodium is naturally occurring (we need it to live!), not added for flavour.

Is 370 mg of sodium a lot? Not really. You could eat 4 patties and still land on the low end of healthy recommended daily intake for sodium (1,500 to 2,000 mg per day). Rather than fixating on the sodium content in their patty, consumers would benefit from choosing their toppings and bun wisely: a fully loaded fast food burger can easily contain over 1,000 mg of sodium, of which only 1/3 is from the patty!

Learn more about sodium needs and sources Some shockingly high sources include bread products, processed meats, tomato sauces and soups.

Plant-Based Burgers Offer Potential Health Benefits Over Ground Beef.

Each of these benefits is relatively small, especially for infrequent burger consumers, but together, they tip the health balance in favour of plant-based burgers.

Benefit 1: A (slightly) healthier mix of fats

An average 80/20 beef patty contains nearly 20 grams of fat, of which about half are saturated fats. This means that a single patty gets you nearly half of the max recommended saturated fat intake for adults (5-10% of calories). The most decadent of the new veggie burgers contain the same or slightly less total fat, but the mix is more favourable – less saturated fat (5 to 8 grams per patty) and more unsaturated fats. Reducing saturated fats is a win for heart health – as long as you replace them with unsaturated fats, rather than with sugars. Furthermore, most faux-meat burgers use coconut oil as their source of saturated fat, which may be less harmful than the saturated fats found in beef. Coconut oil appears to raise “good” HDL cholesterol (while also raising “bad” LDL).

Learn more about coconut oil and get Harvard’s scoop on good and bad fats.

Benefit 2: Low to no trans fats

A single standard beef patty (80/20 cut) contains 1-2 grams of ruminant trans fats, thanks to the bacteria in the cow’s rumen. These naturally occurring trans fats are remarkably similar to industrial trans fats, such as those found in old-school margarines and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. The World Health Organization and others are taking a cautious stance on ruminant trans fats, regulating them the same as industrial trans fats. They recommend limiting total trans fats to under 2 grams per day, which means that one beef patty gets you close to the warning zone. The only potential trans fats in plant-based burgers come from canola oil, which can contain trace amounts of trans fats when heat is used during processing

Learn more about ruminant trans fats: Fueled by Science (video), World Health Organization 2018 draft guidelines  and recent review (Nestle, 2014).

Benefit 3: Lower risk of food-borne illness

Plant-based burgers are safer to handle raw than ground beef, due to the reduced risk of contamination with pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. When I visited the Impossible labs, I happily sampled a raw patty! 

Raw ground beef must be handled with great care due to the risk of pathogenic bugs from cow innards that can contaminate meat during slaughter. These same gut bugs can contaminate water used to irrigate farms and end up in fresh produce, notably leafy greens. In theory, a large scale shift away from animal farming would make fresh produce safer too!

Benefit 4: Lower cancer risk (maybe)

In 2015, the World Health Organization labeled red meat as a Class 2A “probable carcinogen” based largely on a strong link with colorectal cancer. While controlled trial data are lacking, there is a strong mechanistic basis, particularly when using certain high-heat cooking methods, which generates well known carcinogens (such as Heterocyclic Amines (HAs) and Polycyclic Hydrocarbons. This link is well established in animal models but it is unclear how much red meat you would have to consumer, and under what conditions, to translate to a real-life increase. As always, the dose makes the poison!  

Learn more about red meat and cancer risk from the World Health Organization. Also, see Examine.com’s suitably skeptical review of the link and the potential mechanisms.

Plant-Based Burgers Use 100% Safe Ingredients

Food author Michael Pollan’s oft repeated mantra “eat [real] food, not too much, mostly plants” is an excellent rule of thumb. So too are his suggestions to emphasize minimally processed foods with short, lists of familiar ingredients.

At the same time, these rules have severe limitations, and one can be incredibly misled by applying them blindly. The main reason these rules generally work is that most additive-rich foods are engineered purely for craveability, with no regard for nutrition. Fruit Loops and Orange Crush soda are perfect examples. Yet, there is no reason that an engineered food can’t be made healthy if that is part of the product’s value proposition.

In general, I find that the simple rules like “choose whole foods” work well for apples-to-apples comparisons (like apples to apple juice) but fall apart for apples-to-zebras comparisons (like beef to veggie burgers).

A rigorous comparison looks beyond simple rules of thumb and includes a detailed assessment of nutrition and safety.

Processing

It is simply not true that everything from nature warrants a health halo (hello, bacon and butter) and that everything processed is toxic (hello, infant formula). Instead of painting all “processed foods” with the same brush, why not focus on the nutritional profile (and safety) of the final product? Using the “just the facts” nutritional lens, plant-based burgers come out ahead, as discussed above. Safety is also a non-issue as discussed below.

It’s also worth recognizing that the definition of processed foods is extremely murky. Indeed, “wholesome” staples such as yogourt, cheese, bread, and wine, involve modified ingredients and elegant chemistry, with the assistance of microbes. Plant-based burgers are no different.

Additives / chemicals

It’s natural, and sensible, to be leery of unfamiliar compounds, but this is not a valid scientific reason to reject something. An infamous fearmongering food blogger who won’t be named managed to get parents in arms about ascorbic acid in their baby food. Would they feel differently if it were labeled as Vitamin C?  How would you feel about sodium chloride in your food? Wait, that’s table salt!

Rather than paint all additives (and all chemicals), with the same brush, we should take an objective look at the ingredient list and ask how good / bad / safe they each are (at those doses)? Through this lens, everything in plant-based burgers gets a green light in my books, including methylcellulose (modified plant cell walls). Chemical should not be dirty word!

Number of ingredients

Choosing fewer ingredients can be a useful rule of thumb, because many foods contain extra ingredients that are added solely for extra craveability (e.g. salt, fat, sugar), with little nutritional benefit. Yet, when you scratch beneath the surface, this rule quickly falls apart.

First, this rule ignores the fact that ingredients are often added for a nutritional boost. I much prefer fortified milks to unfortified milk because I appreciate the easy source of Vitamin D, B12, and more. The ingredient list of the Impossible Burger would be half as long if it weren’t for the nutrients they boosted to match beef.

Second, this rule implies that any recipe with fewer ingredients is automatically healthier. When you apply this to your home cooking, the absurdity of this logic becomes apparent. Is a stir fry with 3 ingredients better for you than one with eight ingredients? What about homemade banana bread or granola? Should we be counting the ingredients?  Don’t get me wrong, I love the Minimalist Baker, but that’s because of the simplicity (and great taste) of her recipes!

Third, the concept of an “ingredient” is applied arbitrary. Purified chemicals like salt and sugar are single ingredients, made of a single chemical molecule. But beef?? Beef contains thousands of chemicals – fats, carbohydrates, proteins, connective tissues, and more.

Given that this rule has so many pitfalls, it makes much more sense to focus on the overall nutritional facts (alongside the safety assessment).

“Novel” ingredients

The only “novel” ingredient in plant-based burgers – heme – is actually rather ubiquitous. You have over 1000 patties’ worth of it in your body right now! Scientists at Impossible Foods discovered that heme in meat plays a critical role in its aroma, cooking transformation, and flavour explosion. Plants also contain heme, but in much lower amounts than meat. Rather than harvesting boatloads of soy fields to get enough soy leghemoglobin (heme’s carrier protein), they use fermentation to make vats of it using specialized microbes. This ingredient has been extensively tested for safety, despite the fact that it occurs naturally both in meat and in plants.

Learn more about the magic ingredient in the Impossible Burger and its safety testing

Plant-Based Patties Are Not A “Loaded” With Pesticides

Pesticide levels in these burgers are incredibly low and undeniably safe. Consider glyphosate, the world’s least beloved pesticide.  I would have to consume 5000-25,000 Impossible burgers per day to approach the already conservative national and internationally recognized safe daily intake of glyphosate. This is clearly a case of fearmongering. It’s toxic doses, not toxic compounds, that get us into trouble. Everything is toxic at high enough doses, and everything is safe in small enough doses. The threshold varies for every compound and we can use science to determine that threshold, and ensure we stay well below it.

Learn more about how  ‘the dose makes the poison’  from American Chemistry Council.

Another way to put the levels in context it is to compare the tested levels (11 ppb) to the EPA safe tolerance for glyphosate for soy – 20,000 ppb (20 ppm). Yes, they are nearly 2,000 times lower than the levels deemed safe. Indeed, these levels are nearly 10x lower than allowable glyphosate levels in organic produce (5% of conventional).

Learn more about organic vs conventional veggies in my article and from Health Canada. They may not be as different as you think. 

Plant-Based Meat Mimics Are Not Perfect

No food is perfect. Breast milk is as close to perfect as it gets… but even it’s not perfect for lactose-intolerant kids. Every food has its pros and cons. Here are some downsides to plant-based meats.

  • High cost. With time, this may not be an issue, as scale increases.
  • Allergenic potential. This risk is true of any legume product, and many of these burgers use soy or pea protein. Reactions are rare but may be severe, so caution is warranted, particularly for those with food allergies.
  • Saturated fat content. Though saturated fat levels are generally better than fatty ground beef, there is a lot of room for improvement, and this is an area of active research. Regrettably, saturated fats play a key role in the decadent mouthfeel of meat; and are a big part of why the new plant-based meats are nothing like the old ones.

So… Are They Healthy Or Not?

When we talk about healthy eating, it’s important to zoom out and look at the whole meal, the whole day, the whole week, and beyond.

The way that you serve these patties can make or break the meal. When served by a fast food chain, these meat mimics can weigh in a hefty 900 calories and over 1,000 mg of sodium. Things get even uglier when paired with fries and a drink. Yet, the patty itself is only contributing about 1/3 of the calories and sodium! 

It can be a very different story when you grill these burgers at home, choose your toppings and bun wisely, and serve alongside a large salad. Yum!

The Bottom Line.

  • Faux meat does not replace veggies. Aim to fill half your plate. Try my recipes if you are looking for inspiration.
  • Plant-based burgers provide many of the same nutritional benefits as beef but with fewer potential downsides.
  • Fake meat is safe – arguably even safer than beef!
  • The way you serve your burger makes or breaks the health factor. If health is a priority, cook them at home, choose toppings and bun wisely, and don’t forget the side of veggies!

In other words, meat lovers can have their cake and eat it. These burgers are a great option for vegetarians and vegans who miss ground beef. However, their main audience is a much bigger slice of the population: omnivores, reducetarians, flexitarians and others looking to reduce their red meat consumption, while still enjoying the decadent taste and aroma of meat.

Last but not least, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room. The leading companies offering fake meat are mission-driven, with vegan roots. They aspire to reduce animal suffering, to feed a growing population, and to improve the health of our planet. It seems to me that any benefits to human health are icing on the cake.

In the words of the leading (vegan-founded) fake-meat innovators:

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Cambridge University Cuts Emissions With Less Meat & More Plant-based Foods

 

Back in 2016, Cambridge University made the decision to remove beef and lamb from its campus menus and offer more plant-based dishes in an effort to reduce its food-related emissions.

Cambridge pointed to the fact that producing beef and lamb emits 250 times more greenhouse gases per gram of protein than legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans) and that one meal with beef or lamb has the same footprint as eight months of chickpea-based meals. They also highlighted that plant-based foods require less water and land than animal-based foods.

The school has since reported that the decision, which was part of its Sustainable Food Policy, has been effective in reducing emissions per kilogram of food purchased by 33 per cent and land use per kilogram of food purchased by 28 per cent. The move cut the school’s overall emissions by 10.5 per cent, while simultaneously increasing sales and profit.

“It is hard to imagine any other interventions that could yield such dramatic benefits in so short a span of time,” said Andrew Balmford, professor of Conservation Science at the University of Cambridge.

In swapping out red meat options for more plant-based dishes, the school focused on making plant-based dishes appealing and accessible. Cambridge’s catering team took part in plant-based cooking classes, visited restaurants with plant-based menus for inspiration and managers received training on marketing for sustainability rather than for profit.

Meanwhile, dishes added to the menu were strategically placed in the cafeteria so as to highlight them specifically and encourage customers to choose them over meat-based options.

When it came to the labelling of dishes, staff focused on the ingredients rather than identifying dishes as specifically “veg” or “vegan”. They hoped this would create universal appeal and that customers would focus on the deliciousness of the dish.

Some of the most popular plant-based dishes include Swedish style vegballs with mash and creamy mustard sauce, smoky Moroccan chickpea stew with saffron infused couscous and a sweet potato burger.

The success of this decision by Cambridge University serves as an inspiring example for other post-secondary schools and institutions that offer food service. It also comes at a crucial time, as a growing body of research concludes that a significant reduction in global meat consumption is essential for addressing climate change, the global biodiversity crisis and the high demand for meat that drives the cruel factory farming system.

Interested in introducing or expanding plant-based menu options at your school, workplace, business or in your community? Get in touch to learn about our Plant-Based Plates program! 

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Introducing Our New Plant-Based Plates Program

Since the launch of our Meatless Monday program in 2015 we’ve worked with public institutions, including schools and hospitals, to introduce more veg and vegan options to their cafeteria menus.

As the demand for plant-based foods continues to grow, so has our work to improve public access to these humane, healthy and sustainable menu options. We’re excited to launch our new Plant-Based Plates program, which expands on our Meatless Monday work to bring plant-based dishes to daily menus.

Through presentations, culinary support, menu sampling and outreach, we aim to help food service teams and food policy decision-makers put more plants on plates and to educate and empower the public in making more informed food choices that are better for animals, the planet and public health.

Earlier this summer, we kicked off our new Plant-Based Plates initiative by offering a culinary workshop and guest chef pop-up at the BC Children’s & Women’s Hospital. The hospital’s food service team explored making a number of plant-based dishes, including a Pad Thai and a Pulled BBQ Jackfruit Burrito. Vancouver Humane staff offered samples of the dishes during the lunch hour and handed out information and free recipes to hospital guests. The dishes proved popular, selling out during lunch, and the recipes have since been added to the café’s menu rotation.

Guest Chef Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition leads BC Children’s & Women’s Hospital staff in a plant-based culinary workshop.

We look forward to continuing to support institutions throughout Metro Vancouver in bringing their menus into alignment with the growing body of evidence that concludes a global dietary shift toward a plant-based diet is not only one of the most effective ways to reduce our individual environmental footprint, but it’s also necessary if we are to meet our global climate targets. This is why Plant-Based Plates will also focus on government food and procurement policies, encouraging a shift toward prioritizing animal-friendly and climate-friendly plant-based foods.

We all have a role to play in protecting animals, the planet and public health, and a great place to start is with what we put on our plates. Looking for recipes? Take our Plant-Based Pledge and receive a weekly recipe sent to your inbox! If you’re interested in bringing more plant-based meals to your school/school district, workplace or community, we encourage you to check out our new Plant-Based Plates website and get in touch with us! Please also consider making a donation to help us continue this important work.

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Thinking about going plant-based?

Navigating through the all the advice and information about plant-based diets can be confusing.  Arguments rage in the news media and online about the ethical, health and environmental considerations involved in moving away from animal-based foods.

Ethical arguments

The ethical case for switching to a plant-based diet is strong.  Science has shown that most animals are sentient. That is, they have the capacity to feel pain, pleasure, suffering or comfort. There is no doubt that the billions of animals raised for food suffer, mainly because of industrialized agriculture, which deprives them of the ability to engage in natural behaviours, forces them to live in confined spaces, subjects them to painful procedures, transports them in stressful conditions, and ends their lives prematurely in a slaughterhouse. 

Many people who have researched and thought about the sentience of animals and about the nature of modern animal agriculture have given up meat. For example, famed anthropologist and conservationist Jane Goodall has written that she stopped eating meat some 50 years ago “when I looked at the pork chop on my plate and thought: this represents fear, pain, death.”

Dr. Lori Marino, a renowned neuroscientist, recently wrote: “…the scientific literature on everyone from pigs to chickens points to one conclusion: farmed animals are someone, not something. They share many of the same mental and emotional characteristics that we recognize in ourselves and acknowledge in the animals closest to us – dogs and cats. To continue our self-indulgence, we resist the evidence and reinforce the status of farmed animals as objects, as commodities, as food.”

If you accept the ethical arguments against raising animals for food, the question then becomes: Okay, now what?  For a growing number of people, the answer is to simply stop consuming animal products. The good news is that it’s never been easier to do so, but there are still practical matters to consider.

What do I eat?

The first big one is: What do I eat?  This is where the debates over dietary health begin. It’s important to know that there is plenty of scientific evidence to show that a plant-based diet can be healthy. The Dietitians of Canada have stated that: “A healthy vegan diet has many health benefits including lower rates of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.”

However, if you’re concerned about health, you can’t just switch to a diet of veggie burgers, fries and vegan donuts. That’s why nutrition experts recommend a “whole foods” plant-based diet that focuses on including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts.  It can take a little time and effort to learn how to plan, shop for and prepare whole-food meals, but fortunately there are boundless resources online and in print to help you. (One of our favourites is Easy Animal-Free. You can also sign our Meatless Monday Pledge and receive weekly plant-based recipes.)  In Vancouver, there are also plenty of plant-based restaurants to choose from, so going out to eat isn’t a problem.

The new meat alternatives

But what about all the new meat substitutes people are talking about, such as the Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger?  These products are sometimes criticized for being processed foods or for being high in calories.  However, many also contain important nutrients such as protein and vitamin B12, which are important to a meatless diet. In many cases, the products have similar or better nutritional profiles than the meat products they’re replacing. The best approach to these foods is to eat them as occasional treats rather than as a staple of your diet. You can also check labels for nutritional information if you have specific concerns about ingredients. 

Vancouver Humane is very supportive of the rise of the plant-based food industry. If all the world’s burgers, sausages and chicken nuggets were replaced with plant-based alternatives it would likely mean the end of factory farming, which exists only to mass produce cheap meat. It would also mean the end of suffering and slaughter for billions of animals. That’s a prize worth striving for.

It’s also essential to know that eating the new plant-based meat substitutes is far better for the environment than eating meat. The global meat and livestock industry is a major contributor to climate change and causes considerable environmental damage and harm to wildlife.

Take a step in the right direction

So, for a variety of important reasons, it’s a good idea to transition to a plant-based diet. Not everyone can make that change overnight, so go at your own pace. Even just reducing your meat consumption helps and is a step in the right direction.  At Vancouver Humane, we recognize that change can be difficult and we don’t condemn people for their food choices. Instead we believe in providing helpful and reliable information, giving encouragement and being supportive.

If you’re ready to join the plant-based movement, please support our Go Veg campaign. You can help by eating more compassionately and by encouraging others to do the same.

Remember, every time you sit down to eat you can stand up for animals.

 

 

 

 

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Why is a humane society talking about plant-based diets?

“Put simply, when we eat animal products we hurt both farmed and wild animals”

 

Anyone who is familiar with Vancouver Humane’s work or follows our social media channels will notice that we encourage people to try a plant-based diet. Some people, especially those who see a humane society’s work as limited to helping companion animals, might wonder why we put such emphasis on changing diets.

The most obvious reason is that the fewer meat and dairy products we consume, the fewer animals need to be slaughtered. Another reason is that reducing animal-based food consumption negates the case made by industry for factory farming, which exists because of the demand for intensively-produced, cheap meat and dairy.  In short, eating fewer animal products means less slaughter and suffering. It’s also worth noting that 60 per cent of all mammals on earth are livestock, so addressing factory farming means helping large numbers of animals.

“There is substantial evidence that meat consumption contributes to global warming” 

But cutting meat consumption benefits animals in other important ways. Most people are now aware of the threat of climate change to the planet – and that means a threat to animals as well as humans. There is substantial evidence that meat consumption contributes to global warming. (The United Nations says that the livestock sector produces 14.5 per cent of human-generated global greenhouse gas emissions.) And there is no doubt climate change is having an impact on wildlife. As the WWF says, “From polar bears in the Arctic to marine turtles off the coast of Africa, our planet’s diversity of life is at risk from the changing climate.”

Aside from contributing to the harm to wildlife through global warming, meat consumption is having a negative impact on animals by causing other environmental damage. A 2017 WWF study found that excessive animal product consumption is responsible for 60 per cent of all biodiversity loss, due to the massive amount of land being used to grow feed for livestock. A previous study on biodiversity loss concluded that: “The consumption of animal-sourced food products by humans is one of the most powerful negative forces affecting the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems and biological diversity. Livestock production is the single largest driver of habitat loss, and both livestock and feedstock production are increasing in developing tropical countries where the majority of biological diversity resides.”  Put simply, when we eat animal products we hurt both farmed and wild animals.

“Livestock production is the single largest driver of habitat loss”

Our focus on reducing the consumption of animal products doesn’t mean we don’t also work to improve the lives of animals currently suffering on factory farms.  We publicly demand accountability for incidents of deliberate animal cruelty on farms and we routinely push for better conditions for farmed animals through, for example, government consultations.

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Cruelty-free Food and Drink News/Blog plant-based diet Promoted vegan vegetarianism

Chickpea: plant-based comfort food with a Mediterranean twist

Photo: Hanna McLean

 

The Chickpea food truck has been a big hit with Vancouverites, who have been lining up for its Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian food since it opened for business in 2016.  Now, owners Rotem Tal and Itamar Shani have opened a restaurant on on Main Street that’s attracting diners with its popular plant-based comfort food.  VHS asked Rotem and Tal about their new venture and about their thoughts on plant-based dining in Vancouver.

 

The Chickpea food truck has obviously been popular and successful.  What made you decide to open a restaurant?

Having a brick and mortar shop was always our dream. We decided to start with a food truck so we could try out our recipes and gauge the public’s response. We were blown away and really excited by the immediate positive reactions to our food and the Chickpea culture. So moving to a restaurant happened sooner than expected. 

 

You recently announced on your website that the restaurant had “gone vegan” and removed all eggs from the menu. What prompted the change?

We both grew up in households where meat was a main ingredient. Individually, through our own personal experiences we each became vegetarian, however. As our business began to grow, so did our research into ethical and sustainable practices. Months ago we removed dairy from our truck’s menu, so it seemed only natural to remove all animal products and by-products from Chickpea before opening the restaurant. We care very much about how our business impacts our community and the world as a whole.

 

You describe Chickpea’s cuisine as “delicious vegetarian comfort food with a Mediterranean twist.” How have Vancouver diners reacted to your menu?

Now we’re vegan comfort food 😉 

The responses have always been positive. There was a bit of an uproar when we removed eggs from our Shakshuka (a dish that traditionally is made with eggs). But overall, people like our food regardless of their dietary restrictions, preferences or practices. In fact we hear a lot of meat-eaters telling us that they didn’t even notice that our meals are all plant-based. 

 

Are there any dishes that have proven to be particularly popular?

Our Falafel Pita is a truck and restaurant favourite, and our chickpea fries seem to be taking Vancouver by storm. If you’re at the restaurant we’re currently obsessed with the Shakshuka Chickpea fries. 

 

How would you describe the typical Chickpea customer?  Is there a predominant demographic?

One thing we love about Chickpea is that both our truck and restaurant see customers of all different walks of life. We feed adorable children, serious business people, colourful hippies, cute old couples, proud vegans, and everyone in-between. Our customers are united by their desire for delicious food and good vibes. 

 

Do you think vegan and vegetarian food is becoming more mainstream in Vancouver?  If so, why?

Globally, we are becoming more aware of our impact on the world and how we’ve lost touch with our roots. As we move together as a community to reduce our carbon footprint, our eating habits play an important role. Vancouver is constantly working towards becoming more environmentally conscious, so it makes sense that more people are reducing or eliminating their animal product/by-product consumption.

 

What have you enjoyed most about launching and building Chickpea as a business?

Chickpea is more than just food. We’ve worked hard to create a business that reflects our desire to promote love, joy and creative inspiration. As a result, it’s been an absolute pleasure meeting new people who also care deeply about our planet and connecting with one another. Also, through the truck we’ve been exposed to some really cool local initiatives and events. In addition, we continue to love creating a family with our staff, customers and community members.

 

What have the biggest challenges been?

Anyone who’s started a business knows how all encompassing it is. Before Chickpea, we were both really good at taking time for ourselves and spending time with our family and friends. We’re working hard to regain that balance. 

 

Do you have plans to expand Chickpea further?  What are your goals for the future? 

We are always discussing Chickpea’s future and new goals for the business. However, going back to our biggest challenges, for now we’re quite focused on having more quality time spent in nature with family and friends. 

 

What would you say to skeptical carnivores to convince them to try Chickpea?

Carnivores regularly eat at Chickpea. So instead of trying to convince them, we’re happy that we can show how accessible and delicious meat-less meals are. 

 

Chickpea is located at 4298 Main Street, Vancouver.
(604) 620-0602
info@ilovechickpea.ca

Photo: Hanna McLean

 

 

Categories
animal welfare compassion Cruelty-free Food and Drink News/Blog plant-based diet Promoted vegan vegetarianism

Erin Ireland’s plant-based journey

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Erin Ireland is a food journalist, blogger, entrepeneur and animal-lover who has been on a personal journey to discover and understand the principles and practices involved in ethical eating. In a recent blog post (reprinted below with her kind permission) she describes her transition to a plant-based diet.  

 

It’s Sunday morning and I’m sitting here on the couch in pyjamas drinking an almond milk latte. I’m crying after re-reading some of the 831 comments on Jillian Harris’ blog post, “How This Alberta Meatatarian Became so Vegan-ish”, in which she opens up about her transition to a plant-based diet.

In the days following her post, I texted Jillian to say how impressed I was by her written words—how I envied her ability to get thoughts ‘on paper’ so effortlessly. What she wrote would have taken me months. She has drawn me to my computer today to share the unedited story of my own journey. I usually stick to sharing my ‘plant-based messages’ on social channels because they are short and easy to write. I definitely prefer talking over writing, which is why I gave this speech. But Jillian’s post (which broke jillianharris.com website traffic records) inspired me to go deeper and share some of the factors the inspired my personal decision to go vegan.

Like Jillian, I used to be a ‘meatatarian’. I was proud of it. As a college athlete training twice a day, I was the type to order double meat at Subway. I thought eating nothing but ‘lean animal protein’ would help me achieve a healthier, more fit, muscular body. I often said that I was “just not the type who would ever become a vegetarian”.

Wow, how things have changed…

 

WHAT DOES “VEGAN” MEAN?

My introduction to the word vegan came when I asked my parents what the term meant. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I believe they alluded to the fact that veganism was some super-extremist lifestyle that was more-or-less unachievable and mainly adopted by ‘extreme hippies’. I never thought twice about learning more.

Looking back, I don’t blame my parents. 25 years ago things were different. Factory farming wasn’t in the media spotlight like it is today. Baby-Boomers were raised in a time when meat and dairy was fully embraced. National meat and dairy councils were (and still are) supplying nutritional information to schools in North America. Despite the conflict of interest, teachers believed what they were teaching and young, impressionable students ate it up, literally.

THE FIRST ANIMAL PRODUCT I REMOVED FROM MY DIET

My first step towards cutting animal products out of my life came during sophomore year of university. For most of my life, I’d felt a little bit stuffed up, as if I had a constant cold. My dad suffered the same symptoms and told me that cutting milk out of his diet seemed to alleviate the stuffiness. I switched to soy milk. Immediately my sinuses felt better and I never went back to milk (note: this isn’t a professional opinion and I’m not saying this can work for you, just that it worked for me). I’ll admit, I still ate cheese and chocolate from time to time …how could I resist? I thought it was worth a bit of congestion.

The other reason I cut milk out of my life was acne. My skin issues began around the age of 19. I often got blemishes after big doses of dairy. Cutting milk out of my diet helped, but it was also a hormonal thing for me—going on the pill was the only thing that finally resolved my skin problems completely. Ironically, at the time my reasons for cutting dairy out had nothing to do with environmental or animal welfare issues. I didn’t know the truth about the lives of so many dairy cows. Today, in my heart, our planet and the animals are the main reasons I am passionate to seek dairy alternatives.

MEAT OBSESSION DURING MY VOLLEYBALL YEARS

As an NCAA Div. 1 volleyball player, I thought I needed a ton of protein. I thought I needed a meat heavy diet. Not a single girl on my volleyball team ate vegetarian—if any teammate, classmate or teacher raised the topic of vegetarianism during my four years of school, I don’t remember it. At my peak, I weighed 155 lbs and was the second strongest female in my athletic department.  Always looking to take things a notch further, I wanted to gain more muscle and I thought eating meat would help. Sometimes for dinner, I’d eat a whole rotisserie chicken. Nothing else. Even worse, my teammates and I would go to the Golden Corral buffet (which my mom nicknamed, ‘the pig trough’) for all-you-can-eat steak.

My small university town in South Carolina revolved around the one Walmart, and I loved going there to buy their cheapest lean ham. Another regular purchase was extra lean ground beef that for Hamburger helper that my roommate and I used to love to make. We thought we were making healthy choices. My mom would sometimes ask if I knew where this meat was coming from. I always dismissed her questions thinking she was being a paranoid mom. I remember telling her that the FDA / governing bodies wouldn’t allow unsafe food on the shelves…was I ever wrong. My mom had been right to question.

THE DOCUMENTARIES THAT GOT ME THINKING

My transition to a plant-based diet slowly started with the documentary, ‘Forks Over Knives’. The movie presented facts that a vegan diet not only stops disease from forming in the body, but actually reverses it. The evidence was convincing to say the least. I started to realize the impact animal-based foods were having on our health. I couldn’t believe this was the first time I was hearing such important information. The more I learned, the fewer animal products I ate.

Earthlings was another documentary that had a huge impact on me. It introduced me to the term, speciesism: the prejudice or bias in favour of the interests of members of one’s own species and against those of members of other species. The documentary is graphic, filled with undercover footage shot inside factory farms and the odd slaughterhouse. I shut my eyes and cried through much of it, but I felt strongly that I needed to know what was going on behind closed doors. How could I make decisions about my food choices unless I knew the consequences of my actions? Now, I had seen those consequences and I simply couldn’t have anything to do with it. Farming is not what it was 100 years ago and the vast majority of the time, animals are not leading the happy lives, as depicted on food labels.

At this point in my life, I was still eating cage-free organic eggs from time to time, and if I was in a dining situation where the only option was seafood, I’d take it. But gradually, as I continued to read and watch, I lost all appetite for anything animal-based, including leather.

WHERE I AM TODAY

Three years into my plant-based journey, there are a couple recurring questions friends and family often ask. The first is which animal product I miss the most? The answer is: none. Since learning the true impact of animal agriculture, my cravings for animal products has completely disappeared. Anyone who knows me can vouch for the fact that I love GOOD food, and today, my plant-based options leave me dreaming about my next meal every single day.

The second question is whether my energy or training has suffered since quitting animal protein. Today, I’m more energetic and satiated than I ever was in university. I’m up at 5:30am for a 10K run about five days a week. I can’t imagine having the energy to do this back in the day — I remember always feeling hungry and tired during my school years. Another important driver for me was learning that the fear of not getting enough protein from plants…is a myth. As long as we consume our daily recommended intake of calories (from whole foods), it’s nearly guaranteed we will also get our daily recommended dose of protein. Our bodies can’t even process extra protein (just like vitamins) so they are eliminated from our systems, into the sewage system.

The last thing I’m often asked, is whether veganism requires more work. Ironically, I find it requires less (less stress too!). It’s really the little things that start to add up: no more racing home to get groceries refrigerated. No more obsessive washing of the cutting board for fear of e-coli or salmonella. No more finicky fat trimming. No more stressing over timing and temperature for the perfect steak, roast, or chicken. No more fear of meaty leftovers going bad if I forget to refrigerate right away.

Remember there’s always a learning curve when transitioning to any new diet. If the thought of vegan meal planning is daunting, know that, unlike generations before us, we are spoiled by the amount of amazing resources out there. For starters…

Before hitting publish I reread the post that inspired this note. Jillian received 831 comments on her blog and Instagram post—almost all filled with love, encouragement and acceptance. They bring tears of happiness to my face when I read them. What’s even more heartening are the actions of her following that I’m certain will be inspired from the conversation she has just begun.

Thanks to leaders like Jillian, a word I associated with ‘extreme hippies’ 25 years ago, is now well on it’s way to becoming a mainstream movement. This gives me so much hope.