Plant Shift

love ♥ living ♥ vegan

Following a plant-based or vegan lifestyle, is about food, drink, clothes, shoes, body treatments, hair products and more. 

It's a conscious decision to think, walk and possibly, talk a better lifestyle. 

I support individuals who are thinking about making the shift, as well as, those who have already begun their plant-based journey.

Filtering by Tag: diet

What do medical studies say about cardiovascular disease and diet?

Is there a connection between cardiovascular disease and diet?

At the bottom of this article, you'll find a short recording in which Dr. Mehta talks about cardiovascular disease and diet. He refers to a few studies, but to keep the content short, he lists others in his document of references, so that we can read them when we have more time.

A summary of a range of studies that looked at the potential link between diet and cardiovascular disease

Here, you'll find a brief look at a range of studies. For each one I've shared some information consistently e.g. the number of subjects, the results, the duration of the study. I've done this to make it easier for you to compare the results from each one. 

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Meet Julia Leyden - She created Organically Yours to help her daughter who had a heart condition

I would love for you to read Julia's story. She went from being a concerned mum, to dieting with her daughter to help her reduce one of the side effects of having to take medication, to creating recipes, and accidentally creating a vegan business as a result!

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Video interview: how I shifted from a veggie diet to a vegan lifestyle

Interviewing vegan businesses

I've been interviewing vegan businesses for a while now. It started off by creating articles in which I invited the business to share some of the following information:-

  • raise awareness about what they sell,
  • discuss what made them create the business, 
  • share what their goals are 
  • how customers can buy their products 
  • express if their product is affected by the use of vegan 'ingredients'

However, more recently, I've ventured into the world of video. I have started recording short interviews with vegan businesses, through which they share what's new and show how they've grown since they began their journey. 

Read on to find out about my journey to a vegan lifestyle.

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Can changing your diet reverse diabetes within 30 days?

The footage shown below is less than 5 minutes long.

Priceless! In less than the time it takes to make a cup of tea, you'll understand how to reverse diabetes in 30 days JUST by changing what you eat!

 

"Children who grow up getting nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer" Dr. Benjamin Spock

How the environment reacts to what we eat, how we grow it and what we waste

There's a lot of debate about how our choices and actions have an impact on the environment. It effects everyone in one way or another and because, our motivations are different, reaching a solution that all parties will be happy with, is a hard task. The video below sums up how our dietary choices, the way we meet this demand, and how we deal with waste, impacts on the environment.

A few points to look out  for as you watch the video:-

  1. How much of the greenhouse emissions are caused by dairy and meat? 
  2. How much of the greenhouse emissions are caused by aviation?
  3. What is the one of the primary causes of water table pollution in the U.S.?
  4. Which method of fishing is described as not harming the environment?

More about this film...

The entire film lasts 30 minutes. It explores the benefits of being vegan. Some of these are: -

  • an exciting lifestyle
  • eating delicious food
  • consuming healthy food
  • tackling the ethics behind making this shift
  • global challenges that we face now and in the future.

It was produced by The Vegan Society.

Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?

A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today. As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management. It says: "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."

Source - The Guardian

An MP explains why we can't continue to sustain a Western style diet

I don't know why I was surprised to hear a Member of Parliament saying that we can't sustain a Western style diet outright and on record. The truth does not and should not be dependant on the source of it! This video is under 1.5 minutes long and it compares the effects of a Western style diet and a plant-based one.

Here are some points that leaped out at me:-

  • WithOUT the predicted growth population of 2.3 billion we'd need 3 Earth sized planets to sustain ourselves if everyone adopted a Western diet.
  • A vegan diet only needs 1/3 of the water and land in comparison to that needed to maintain an animal based diet.
  • Farmers will not be displaced and out of work as a result of people shifting to a vegan diet.

More about this film...

The entire film lasts 30 minutes. It explores the benefits of being vegan. Some of these are: -

  • an exciting lifestyle
  • eating delicious food
  • consuming healthy food
  • tackling the ethics behind making this shift
  • global challenges that we face now and in the future.

It was produced by The Vegan Society.

Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?

“This civilization is the impact of the world's consumption behavior.” Toba Beta

Proof that vegans can eat a WIDE range of interesting foods in MANY cuisines

I've heard people talk about the commonly held belief that vegetarians have a boring diet. I've heard them say that the mainstream view is, vegetarian meals are based on rice and chick peas. I've even read posts about it! I'm not sure why, but I haven't been part of such a conversation before, so I only know of it happening through others. Now, you can imagine the thoughts that arise about a vegan diet! When I've told people that I follow a vegan diet, I've often been asked 'What can you eat?' and I must admit; I've been pants at answering that, because I was so astonished that they thought I was so limited in what I can eat. I love food and if I had to eat the same things over and over again, I would not be very happy! This video says it better than I could, so have a watch. :) If you're up for it, keep these questions in mind as you watch the video.

  1. Do vegans deny themselves pleasurable experiences when eating?

  2. Can vegans only eat a few cuisines?

  3. Would vegetarians or meat eaters ever find vegan food interesting?

The Head Chef of Saf briefly discusses his transformation to adopting a plant-based diet overnight. He mentions the benefits and says that he'd never go back!

More about this film...

The entire film lasts 30 minutes. It explores the benefits of being vegan. Some of these are: -

  • an exciting lifestyle

  • eating delicious food

  • consuming healthy food

  • tackling the ethics behind making this shift

  • global challenges that we face now and in the future.

It was produced by The Vegan Society.

Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?

"I've found without question that the best way to lead others to a more plant-based diet is by example - to lead with your fork, not your mouth." Bernie Wilke

Why don't vegans use or buy products containing fur?

In an earlier I post I mentioned that people follow things to different lengths/degrees. This applies here.

What is the connection between fur and veganism?

There are some who follow a vegan diet but they are fine with wearing animal products and there are those who won't. I see this as the key to determining whether someone is following a vegan diet or a vegan lifestyle. To me, the latter goes beyond diet. It's about embracing veganism in every part of life. It's the full shift, if you like.

Now the thing is; it's not always that clear. There are many people who don't 'choose' to use animal products with the knowledge of the suffering involved. They simply don't know, so you can't really say that they 'choose' to do it and are alright with it. Then there are those who know but don't see it as an issue.

If, like many, you haven't thought about how fur is sourced and you aren't aware of the processes involved; you aren't empowered to make a choice.

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What every vegan needs to know about Vitamin B12

When I first told my friends and family that I was going to follow a vegan diet, I was faced with questions like 'What about B12?'. I felt put on the spot and the underlying tone of the conversation made me doubt whether I had made the right decision. You see, I decided to go vegan after watching a video about dairy production. It was a decision based on emotion. I hadn't done any research but was adamant that I didn't want to go back to a vegetarian diet. Nevertheless, many would say that a decision based on emotion is a foolish one.

Everything has turned out just fine, but I wouldn't want a 'new' vegan to be experience what I did; so I'm sharing the following information, which is from the Vegan Society.

Once you have got your head around what you need to know; any conversation about what you should or should not consume will hopefully be plain sailing.

The Vegan Society has published the following information about Vitamin B12: -

Very low B12 intakes can cause anaemia and nervous system damage.

The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals) and B12 supplements.

Vitamin B12, whether in supplements, fortified foods, or animal products, comes from micro-organisms.

Most vegans consume enough B12 to avoid anaemia and nervous system damage, but many do not get enough to minimise potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.

To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the following:

  • eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (μg or mcg) of B12 a day or

  • take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or

  • take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.

If relying on fortified foods check the labels carefully to make sure you are getting enough B12. For example, if a fortified plant milk contains 1 microgram of B12 per serving then consuming three servings a day will provide adequate vitamin B12. Others may find the use of B12 supplements more convenient and economical.

The less frequently you obtain B12 the more B12 you need to take, as B12 is best absorbed in small amounts. The recommendations above take full account of this. There is no harm in exceeding the recommended amounts or combining more than one option.

To be honest, I don't analyse my food and intake so thoroughly but I am fairly good at 'reading' my body and I also, request a blood test once a year. So far, my B12, Vitamin D, Calcium and Iron levels have been good or better than 'normal'.

I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.
— Maya Angelou

Does being vegan mean you cut out dairy products?

The confusion about veganism

When I first began following a vegan diet, I found that some people thought vegan and vegetarian meant the same thing; others defined vegan as vegetarian minus eggs and some thought it meant vegetarian minus dairy products.

None of the above are correct! :)

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