Oct02
Honor Gandhi's Birthday--Go Vegetarian
Posted at 10:34 AM | Permalink
| 
Comments (13)
Today is Gandhi's birthday, and it's also the second day of Vegetarian Awareness Month. I can't think of a better way to celebrate both than by giving a vegetarian diet a try.
 |
Gandhi ardently advocated nonviolence and campaigned to end poverty, expand women's rights, encourage self-reliance, and promote peace and respect for all living beings. He believed that "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
If you think about the billions of animals who suffer in America's filthy, crowded factory farms and who are cruelly killed in slaughterhouses every year, it's clear that this nation has a long way to go to become "great" and "moral."
So if PETA's sexy babes haven't yet inspired you to go vegetarian, check your pulse. Then read Gandhi's book The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism and PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's The PETA Practical Guide to Animals Rights.
Posted by Karin Bennett
TAGGED:
Comments
Rest in peace, Gandhi.
Posted by: Aneliese | October 2, 2009 10:54 AM
I might hesitate to mention Ghandi's vegetarianism in social discourse because it associates the movement with someone who was rather skinny and that association is probably a common misperception already... Da Vinci and Einstein might carry more political weight, but Ghandi is worth mentioning sometimes I'm sure!
Posted by: Toby Saunders | October 2, 2009 11:14 AM
I asked this in another blog but didn't get an answer. If dairy and animal products can't be consumed and if males can't consume soy because of increasing evidence of health issues and soy decreasing male hormone , what do you do then?
Posted by: Tom | October 2, 2009 11:20 AM
I was wondering if maybe the PETA blog could also start advocating ways for people who eat meat to make more ethical choices (buying eggs from farms who have free-range chickens and let them live long lives instead of killing them). Not everyone can go vegetarian for health reasons (like those with Crohn's disease) but many want to make more ethical choices in their lives.
Posted by: M | October 2, 2009 12:10 PM
Here's a link I got from Vegan Outreach to a new USDA tipsheet for vegetarians. And although the topic of getting enough protein from a veg diet has been discussed ad nauseum, the USDA is in full agreement that all your protein requirements are well-met with a vegan diet:
"Your protein needs can easily be met by eating a variety of plant-based foods. Sources of protein for
vegetarians include beans, nuts, peas, and soy products (tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers). Build meals around protein sources that are naturally low in fat, such as beans, lentils, and rice."
http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/TenTips/VegetarianTipsheet.pdf
Posted by: Mike Quinoa | October 2, 2009 01:30 PM
@Tom: If you don’t want to drink soy, you should try rice milk, hemp milk, almond milk, or one of the many other delicious vegan options available.
Posted by: Shawna Flavell | October 2, 2009 05:39 PM
Mexican-American social justice icon, Cesar Chavez was a follower of Gandhi. The Catholic Cesar Chavez was an animal loving vegetarian who denounced dogfighting, bullfighting, cockfighting and all atrocities against animals. He merits a March 31 National Holiday.
Posted by: Brien Comerford | October 2, 2009 08:29 PM
I know this is going to sound like a stupid question, but what is almond milk?
Posted by: Melanie | October 2, 2009 09:19 PM
There are tonnes of vegan options. If you think about it, we no longer possess the hunting instincts nor physical features of meat eating animals (dogs, lions, tigers, etc). We focus on taste rather than food itself.
Btw, India has a mllion veg food options (which can easily be made vegan. i'm a vegan of indian origin who's lived in australia for all the 28 yrs of my life).
Besides, I eat all types of vegan food (pastas, pizzas, tacos, sandwiches, tofu, vegan milks (rice, almond, oat), cereals, & lots more) and am healthier than when I used to eat meat & dairy.
Posted by: Kunal | October 3, 2009 01:37 AM
My friend once told me: "I became a vegetarian at first for health reasons, then for animal rights, now it's just to annoy people."
I couldn't agree more.
Posted by: John | October 3, 2009 04:52 PM
Gandhi was vegetarian but not vegan, he used to drink goat milk and dairy. By the way, milk is part of Indian diet and regarded as main part of it. What`s the problem in having dairy and eggs(as long as they come from farms where animals are not abused and slaughtered after getting older)? It is the old vegetarian diet and still tastes better than just having all types of food plant-based.
Thanks
Posted by: Nanci Dagragnano | October 3, 2009 09:53 PM
Gandhi was vegetarian but not vegan, he used to drink goat milk and dairy. By the way, milk is part of Indian diet and regarded as main part of it. What`s the problem in having dairy and eggs(as long as they come from farms where animals are not abused and slaughtered after getting older)? It is the old vegetarian diet and still tastes better than just having all types of food plant-based.
Thanks
Posted by: Nanci Dagragnano | October 3, 2009 09:53 PM
Oh, I love Ghandi. He was such a powerful man. He wore his shoes of peace and his robe was RIGHTEOUS. He spoke the truth and knew the power in humility. He was truly a great man.
Ghandi was a prime example of a non-Christian individual who operated in the GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT and walked in the "FRUIT" OF THE SPIRIT. He was KIND, MERCIFUL and WISE.
Posted by: Saucy | October 5, 2009 11:52 AM