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Resilience: People, Plants, Pigs (and other animal friends)

Resilience: People, Plants, Pigs (and other animal friends)

by | Oct 30, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

The theme of resilience has been front and center for me lately. I’ve noticed mental, physical and emotional resilience in many areas of my life. 

Resilience came into my purview while both of my kids were dealing with challenges. We discussed how when we deal with challenges, we build mental resilience.

Then I saw resilience in Winnie the pig. She lives at Garnsey Feral Acres, a sanctuary that I follow. When Winnie was adopted, she was facing many physical challenges. There was a moment where it looked like she would be ok. But then, despite the extraordinary love and care she was receiving, Winnie was suffering and there appeared to be no choice but euthanasia.  At the eleventh hour, when some new meds kicked in (along with a giant miracle), she completely turned around and is now thriving.  This is physical (and spiritual) resilience.

I see resilience in farm animal sanctuaries every day. I follow a few of them online and find joy watching the animals. The people dedicated to the animals in their care are amazing. In order to do their work, they exhibit strength, commitment, compassion, flexibility and a ton of resilience.

In fact, another pig, named Steven at Arthur’s Acres, just passed (as did Esther the Wonder Pig a week or so ago.) We must feel the grief and then keep moving forward, which builds resilience.

I am amazed (but not surprised) by the amount of work and devotion required to operate a sanctuary. My friend Linda and I recently volunteered at Kindred Spirits Care Farm in Los Angeles. (The alpaca in the top photo lives at Kindred Spirits.)

We were only there for three hours, and it was EXHAUSTING. I tip my hat to everyone involved with a farm sanctuary. 

Winnie the Pig

Linda filling a wheelbarrow with mulch for the horse pasture at Kindred Spirits

I saw resilience again when something that was said in our vegan community was met with negativity. OK, we vegans are criticized regularly- it happens every day.  Yet we move forward anyway, believing in our hearts that what we are doing is right. We are resilient when taking the flack yet continue down the compassionate path.  

What helps us be resilient? Community, love and support and having a deep resolve. Where are you resilient? Do you notice others being resilient? It’s a wonderful quality to notice in yourself and others.

Give Peas a Chance 

Give Peas a Chance 

by | Oct 18, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

I was tasked with creating a theme for our recent Vegan Toastmasters meeting. Given the state of the world, particularly the recent Hamas attack on Israel, the theme that jumped out at me was PEACE.

Peace feels so elusive, especially in the Middle East. Despite the complicated nature of the conflict, most of us are horrified by the brutality inflicted on innocent humans- no matter what your beliefs are about who is right. Violence toward humans happens all over the world for myriad reasons. 

Tangentially (but not unrelated) many of us are horrified by violence inflicted upon non-human animals. Humans massacre millions of innocent beings every day. Needlessly. While many readers will say “but an animal’s life is not equal to a human life,” I beg to differ. Perhaps animals don’t have the cognitive abilities that humans have. But they are sentient beings and feel pain. They have families and communicate and love their offspring. Not too dissimilar from us humans. 

Cows, pigs, chickens, fish (and any animals we consume, perform tests on, trophy hunt) deserve better than the horrible existence to which they are subjected. (Yes, even the ones who are “humanely raised.”)

The topic of animal slaughter and consumption is also complicated.  Our agriculture and food systems are enmeshed with major corporations and governments. Eating animals is normalized in most cultures and it’s how most of us grew up. 

We don’t have an easy solution for peace in the Middle East.  I will leave that to more learned minds than mine. BUT we do have an answer to animal slaughter and torture. It’s called being vegan. 

Will the world go vegan overnight? No. Billions of human beings are not ready to embrace a more compassionate way of eating. But could it happen for you? Yes. The number of vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians or reducetarians is growing all the time. And there’s more support than ever. One by one, over time, we make a difference. 

Peace starts within our own hearts. And choosing what we eat every day can help bring peace to our planet on so many levels. By not actively participating in acts of violence toward animals we become aligned with our inner values of peace and not harming others. This can map over to our compassion toward humans. 

Maybe someday there will be peace for all the animals: human and non-human. We can start by being vegan ourselves, then spread peace through our personal actions and advocacy. 

Even if you are not yet ready to be completely vegan or plant-based, every step you take toward consuming more plants and fewer animal products makes a difference. To you, the animals and the planet. Please reach out if you would like more information or support in eating more plant-based. 

And don’t forget to Give Peas a Chance!

If you, like many of us, are feeling helpless, and wish to contribute toward aid in embattled regions, Doctors Without Borders is an excellent organization. 

The Irony of Baskin Robbins and Plant-based Eating.

The Irony of Baskin Robbins and Plant-based Eating.

by | Sep 20, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

Life is full of irony, isn’t it…???

I grew up eating Baskin Robbins ice cream. Many of us did. Ice cream was my favorite sweet treat. 

John Robbins grew up eating more ice cream than most of us put together. Who is John Robbins? He’s the son of the Baskin Robbins ice cream empire co-founder. John has shared that his family had ice cream for breakfast lunch and dinner. His childhood home had an ice cream cone shaped swimming pool. And John Robbins was the heir to this fortune. 

But John noticed that just about everyone in his family had health issues.  Along the way, he learned about the negative effects of animal-based products on our health and the positive effects of a plant-based lifestyle. In time, he walked away from the financially lucrative but health harming ice cream business. Something must be glaringly problematic to walk away from that kind of fortune.

John Robbins is the author of many books including his 1987 bestseller Diet for a New America. I learned of this book from my friend, Amy, long after I was vegan. It was one of the seeds that sparked her vegan journey, as well as the journey of many others. 

A few weeks ago, I was coaching a client who shared that her go-to treat was Baskin Robbins. I get it. I used to eat a ton of ice cream. 

We discussed the irony that the heir to the Baskin Robins won’t even eat the product anymore. And if he was no longer eating ice cream, maybe it was time for us regular folk to take note. 

It was a light bulb moment for both of us. 

I do enjoy an occasional plant-based frozen treat. The operative word is occasional. Eating sugary, high fat foods is not health promoting. I just save them for special occasions. And they are always plant-based. Animals need not suffer for my dietary pleasure. 

Having this discussion enabled us to have an open dialogue about choices, cravings, and alternatives. 

I’m sure we will both have sweet treats again- including frozen confections. (And yes, Baskin Robbins does offer plant-based flavors.) Yet, we both came up with satisfying alternatives that enable us to reach our health goals without feeling deprived. 

These days I find fruit or dates or a cup of tea rather satisfying. My client discovered bananas with nut butter as a special treat. It tastes decadent, yet it’s plant-based and (relatively) healthy.  

I have found a good balance of healthy foods while not feeling deprived. This client is on her way too and it’s exciting to witness her joy in the discovery. 

p.s. I’m not going to deny that the ice cream photo looks inviting. When I think of all the suffering in the dairy industry, however, my desire to eat dairy ice cream evaporates.

The Importance of Community When Going Plant-based or Vegan

The Importance of Community When Going Plant-based or Vegan

by | Sep 6, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

It is normal not to want rock the boat in our social circles. Evolution shows that for survival reasons we experience safety when we stay in our community. 

Even when we want to do something that we believe in, if it goes against social norms, we often don’t do it. 

We don’t want to feel alone. 

Or like an outsider. 

This applies to going plant-based or vegan too. 

For whatever our reasons, we are ready for the benefits of eating plant-based. 

  • We’ve heard about the health benefits. 
  • It breaks our heart that we eat animals (and we usually don’t think about it so that we can eat like we normally do.)  
  • And we are now aware of the negative impacts of meat consumption on our planet.

Yet, no one else we know is plant based. Our family certainly isn’t, and we can’t imagine what we would feed them if we ate plant-based. Or maybe we’ve tried it once before and it didn’t stick.

How can we possibly make the leap? Sure, we could find a few meals here and there, but every day? And what about gatherings with friends and families? Will we feel ostracized?

Or maybe our friends will be supportive and go out of their way for their “one vegan friend” and then be resentful. Or, gasp, maybe even talk about us behind our back. 

It’s easier, at least for social reasons, not to bother. 

But we are not Neanderthals anymore. For certain choices, like choosing to eat plant-based or go vegan, we aren’t going to be cast out of society. In fact, it is not only becoming more widely accepted, but there’s a whole vegan community waiting to embrace us with open arms.

When I was still vegetarian (or maybe even pescatarian, I can’t remember), I joined Vegan Toastmasters. It was (and still is) nice to be surrounded by people who share my values. Additionally, there are vegan meetups, and tons of Facebook groups to join.

My favorites are: Plant-based Lifestyle with Sherri Goodman Graham for healthy plant-based eating and the polar opposite Fata** Vegans are Awesome which is a vegan food porn page. It’s just a lot of fun watching people discover vegan foods that are fun to eat. There’s nothing healthy about that page, but people aren’t eating animals and it’s hilarious.

Dinner with some of my Vegan Toastmasters friends.

Oh, and of course, we have our own Facebook group at What’s Plant-Based Cooking Good Looking?.

I follow a few interesting Instagram accounts too and a bunch of animal sanctuaries like Rowdy Girl, Animal Place, Odd Man Inn, and others. I love watching farm animals live their best lives and supporting the amazing people that care for them. 

And the longer I’m vegan, the more people I meet who are too. Plus, at this point, most of my friends and family are super supportive (even if they do whisper behind my back. I don’t care- I know I’m doing the right thing on every level. And what other people think of me is none of my business anyway).

Until you find your community, having even one person in your corner is helpful. As a coach, I help with the nuts and bolts of taking my clients step-by-step toward a plant-based lifestyle.  And I’m there to be an ally. If you are ready to take the next step and can use some support or more community, feel free to reach out.

Our Moral Obligations to Animals- in the New York Times

Our Moral Obligations to Animals- in the New York Times

by | Aug 24, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

Nicholas Kristof is one of the leading New York Times columnists. If you read the NY Times, you are likely familiar with his work. We read his book A Path Appears in grad school. Kristof generally writes about politics and international affairs. He is amazingly talented and insightful.

Yet, he just published a piece called: The Truth About Your Bacon in the Times. It’s a huge departure from what we are used to from Kristof. The article exposes some of the horrors of the pig industry.

And I just realized that he has written three other articles about animal welfare and agriculture in the last few months. 

Why has Nicholas Kristof turned his attention to animal welfare? Here is his response to a comment that appeared under the online article: 

“I think that there is a broad reassessment of our moral obligations to the animals we eat. Evidence of that is a NY Times columnist writing not just about politics or international relations, but also about animal welfare — that would not have happened when I first joined the Times in 1984. So I see an arc of progress.” 

Yes! An arc of progress. Discussions about our moral obligations to animals are in our mainstream news. Nonetheless, our mainstream western diet still eclipses moral obligations. 

The ease of eating the way we’ve always eaten makes it too comfortable to make shifts. 

  • We are accustomed to grabbing meat and eggs at the supermarket. 
  • We are accustomed to familiar tastes and textures. 
  • We are accustomed to cooking meals we’ve always cooked. 
  • We are accustomed to celebrating with certain foods. 
  • We don’t wish to be the person in our social circle to be different. 
  • We believe that eating animals is health promoting, or possibly not a big deal.
  • There are way more options when dining out or traveling for meat eaters. 
  • We haven’t stopped to question our choices.

There are plenty more reasons, but these are just a few that I’ve noticed from my clients and people in my plant-based and vegan community. 

I understand this!

Morality around the treatment of animals was brought to my attention when I read Animal Liberation in college in the 80’s.  But I chose (not necessarily consciously but chose nonetheless) to continue eating animals despite an inner knowing that it was wrong. 

I can choose to feel guilty for all the years that I wasn’t following my inner compass, or I can offer myself some compassion. The same compassion that I offer people that I work with who are not yet vegan or plant-based. 

It just so happens that when we follow our moral obligations to animals (choosing plant-based), that we are potentially opting for a healthier lifestyle for ourselves. And this all contributes to a reduction in environmentally damaging animal agriculture as well. 

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read the article. If you have questions or need support with next steps because you feel a tug at your heart to make a change, I am available. 

p.s. I wasn’t brave enough to use the NY Times image of the pig and her piglets in captivity. The image I shared at the top is how I envision our compassionate world. Pigs and other animals cared for and seen as the sentient individuals they are.

Food for Thought: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint with a Plant-Based Diet

Food for Thought: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint with a Plant-Based Diet

by | Aug 2, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

Twice this week I received notifications about how our broken food systems are feeding the climate crisis. 

The first was from my friend, Jyoti who shared this article from the NY Times. The title is:

Save the Planet, Put Down that Hamburger.

Researchers examined the diets of 55,500 people and found that vegans are responsible for 75 percent less in greenhouse gases than meat-eaters. 

Even if you aren’t quite ready to go fully vegan, dramatically reducing the amount of animal products you consume can make a difference, says the Oxford Study. 

The second notification I received was from the people at The Plant-Based Treaty. Researcher, Dr. Joseph Poore, also from Oxford, did a beautiful job explaining all of this in a webinar titled: Reducing the Environmental Impact from Food. 

(Starting at 3:55 you’ll find an introduction from the Mayor of Stockholm. Dr. Poore begins at 7:00) 

Dr. Poore makes it all very easy to understand, and he included graphs and images (which The Plant-Based Treaty people are making available to anyone who is interested. Let me know if you want them and I can share.) Even if you only watch the first bit, you’ll get a sense of the power of his study. I learned a lot by watching the whole webinar. 

And I have quoted the book, The Carbon Almanac, foreward by Seth Godin, a few times. The book discusses many of the ways we can make a difference to the environment. Here are a few quotes about how animal agriculture does harm: 

  • Raising beef for consumption requires 15,415 liters of water per kg- nearly 48 times as much as the average amount needed to grow vegetables. p. 200
  • If everyone on the planet became a vegetarian, we could save an estimated $1.6 trillion in CO2 and health damages by the year 2050. If we all went vegan, that number could jump to nearly $1.8 trillion. p. 200
  • If all humans followed the diet of the United States, every hectare of the world’s habitable land would need to be converted to agriculture and we would still be 38 percent short of the land needed to feed everyone. p. 203
  • Livestock takes up nearly 80 percent of global agricultural land yet produces less than 20 percent of the world’s supply of calories. Alternatively, if everyone adopted the plant-based diets consumed across South Asia, Sub-Saharan African and some Latin American countries, the newly available landmass could feed the entire planet. p. 203
  • Milk is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all airplanes combined. p. 207

And the following is from, Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast: 

  • The four highest-impact things an individual can do to tackle climate change are eat a plant-based diet, avoid air travel, live car-free and have fewer children. Of those four actions, only plant-based eating immediately addresses methane and nitrous oxide, the most urgently important greenhouse gases.
  • Changing how we eat will not be enough, on its own, to save the planet, but we cannot save the planet without changing how we eat.
  • Animal agriculture is responsible for 91 percent of the Amazonian deforestation.
  • About 80% of [total] deforestation occurs to clear land for crops for livestock and grazing.
  • According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, if cows were a country, they would rank third in greenhouse gas emissions after China and the United States

Whether you go fully vegan for the animals, or plant-based for your health, or even reduce animal product consumption for the environment, you are making a difference. If you need help getting there, we have free recipes in our free Facebook group, we offer cooking classes and one on one coaching. 

Reach out and let us know how we can be helpful!

Let’s not look away. We are all responsible. Our children will have to live on this planet after we’re gone and it’s already getting scary. Let’s do what we can while we are here.