But in actual fact, it’s simply just a creative spin on activism that focuses on cognitive dissonance. The aim of the website is to bring into question “why love one type of animal but eat the other?”

Elwood’s content has captured the attention of non-vegans and vegans alike, picking up over 40,000 followers on Facebook, with one viral post reaching over 9.8 million people across the world. 

Plant Based News (PBN) co-founder Robbie Lockie recently sat down with Molly Elwood herself to find out how she exactly came up with the unique concept that is Elwood’s Dog Meat Farm. 

Raising awareness

“I’ve been a vegan for six years, and I’d been trying to figure out what type of activism I wanted to do,” explained Elwood. Having tried raising awareness with blogs, and sharing documentaries exposing the realities of the meat industry, she decided to hatch out an entirely new concept with her husband.

Sharing how the couple came up with the concept, Elwood said, “My husband is vegan too, but he’s very analytical and he wanted the idea to be very logical and for it to hit all the points. And that’s how we landed on Elwood’s Organic Dog Meat.”

The activism was initially going to be carried out using car bumper stickers, but Elwood decided to also create a whole website posing as a sustainable dog meat farmer to spark people’s curiosity. 

“Two weeks in and I put it on social media. I expected vegans to hate the concept… but they played along, which really just amplified the content,” said Elwood. 

‘People are angry’

Speaking about some of the reactions she has received from the campaign, Elwood’s explained, “I made the bumper sticker for my car and I did have a lady chase me through a parking lot once. But online, I get a lot of direct messages… and people are angry.”

Having received plenty of encouragement from other vegans who understand the purpose of the website, Elwood has also encountered an endless amount of criticism and threats from people who believe the dog farm is actually real. 

“I have a voicemail that I set up, and I’ve received endless voicemails and threats from people who think that I actually run a dog farm… We’ve called a number of people back. Some people have figured it out and some get very belligerent,” said Elwood.

Exploring cognitive dissonance

Elwood’s activism involves parodying the language and messaging we see every day coming out of the meat industry, and encourages consumers to explore their cognitive dissonance around the animals they choose to put on their plates.

“People have these societal beliefs that they don’t question, and it’s easier to go along with the status quo, and then they have their core beliefs that they access from time to time when they’re with a dog. But when it’s disconnected from the animal and put on their plate, people can’t see the animal and it’s easier to not think about it, and this website brings the two together,” the activist said.

She goes on to explain that the campaign arouses anger and disgust, and being confronted with these feelings can trigger cognitive dissonance.  

“It’s very deconstructing… Elwood Dog Meat puts this right in front of people, and it’s a private personal experience. They know it’s not a vegan standing in front of them that they can fight with, it’s a mirror held up to them, they’re alone, they’re figuring this out. It’s making the connection,” she said.

Having made a strong impression within the activism community with her website Elwood’s Dog Meat Farm, Elwood hopes to continue advocating for animals through other thought-provoking campaigns with the help of billboards and demonstrations.

The post ‘Organic Dog Meat’ Company Highlights Speciesism In The Food System appeared first on Plant Based News.

Plant Based News (PBN) co-founder Robbie Lockie recently caught up with Lenghel to learn more about his vegan journey. And, what exactly went down in the MasterChef kitchen.

“First of all, I want to thank you for sharing my story, and I wanted to also thank everyone because I saw a very, very, very big response. I’ve had lots of support from many people all over the world,” Lenghel said. 

The chef explained that he grew up in a village where raising animals was very common. “Twenty-five to thirty years ago, we didn’t have markets everywhere where you can go and buy stuff,” he noted.

As he grew older, Lenghel started to travel around the world, which introduced him to the concept of veganism.

From learning about diseases that arise from animals to questioning the logic behind eating animals in the first place, Lenghel decided to give up meat in 2016.

Thriving as a meat-free athlete

Lenghel competed in multiple bodybuilding competitions as a passionate, meat-free athlete. In 2018, he decided to ditch dairy and go vegan. He has upheld the lifestyle ever since.

‘Going vegan is a process’

For Lenghel, going vegan was a “process.” But you have to “keep doing it and trust the process,” he said. 

Lockie goes on to ask Lenghel, “How did you end up getting involved in cooking and being a chef, to then going on MasterChef?”

Lenghel responded: “Cooking became part of my life with the vegan lifestyle.” He went on to explain that getting the right amount of macronutrients in, as an athlete, was really important for him. This propelled him to spend more time cooking in the kitchen.

MasterChef meat incident

Speaking about his experience on MasterChef, Lenghel said: “I joined because I wanted to win without cooking meat.”

When Lenghel was ordered to cook meat, he responded to the judges, “I’m sorry, even if I have to give up this competition, I cannot cook meat, I’m not going to cook it.”

The judges told him that he only needed to cook the meat and that he didn’t have to eat it. 

Speaking to Lockie, Lenghel explained, “I told them, I couldn’t do that… veganism isn’t just about eating. It’s about what message you want to send.”

In a previous chat with PBN, Langhel stated that cooking meat goes against his ethical beliefs. And, that he hopes food shows will see the increasing need to adapt to the plant-based community. 

After his famous exit from the show, Lenghel now plans on starting a vegan cooking show, where he intends on inviting guests who are equally as passionate about cooking food.

He has also just launched his own range of supplements that go by his nickname: Massive Vegan. 

Lenghel noted: “This is what I want to do now, just spread the word, spread help, spread love, and just show people that it’s possible.”

The post Vegan Chef Exclusively Reveals Why He Quit MasterChef And Refused To Cook Meat appeared first on Plant Based News.

A spokesperson from Animal Rebellion spoke to Plant Based News about its approach to fighting animal cruelty.

The 2021 National Animal Rights March

This weekend, thousands of people gathered in London to participate in the 2021 National Animal Rights March. Supporters marched past Unilever, Cargill, and the Marine Stewardship Council’s headquarters.

At least one thing that these organizations have in common is that they profit from the animal-based food industry, which is what Animal Rebellion is aiming to tackle.

“We’ve taken the approach to focus almost exclusively on farmed animals,” Animal Rebellion said about the movement’s goals. “The main reason is that there are so many more animals that are in terrible conditions and being exploited compared to other industries [like fashion and animal entertainment].”

In fact, around 75 billion land animals and trillions of fish are killed for food each year. 

“We should tackle it. And if we can get that even a bit of the way there that would make a huge difference for the majority of animals alive today. It’s a really big scale issue. It’s also a unique opportunity because it ties in with climate and the debate surrounding animal testing on cosmetics too,” they explained.

Building the pressure

Animal Rebellion strives to complete nonviolent yet disruptive campaigns, which have accelerated as of late. Around a week ago, protesters slept over at a McDonald’s restaurant to demand a plant-based food system. It resulted in the arrest of 38 activists. Other ‘Rebels’, as they’re referred to, dyed the Buckingham Palace fountains blood red to protest the use of crown land for hunting and animal agriculture. 

“We call it a Rebellion,” they said, adding that Extinction Rebellion, the sister organization to Animal Rebellion, developed the framework. It involves a short yet intense period of protests, as an alternative to one-off protests.

“One-off protests are really easy to ignore. It’s really disruptive for a day, police are strained for a day. But then it goes away and people forget and it moves on,” the spokesperson explained. 

“But if you do it for a sustained and prolonged period then it gets increasingly disruptive and annoying and in your face. So it’s like a build in pressure.”

They added that the format allows people to take one or two weeks off to focus and have a ‘really impactful disruptive period’, before returning to their day-to-day lives. “So we concentrate the movement a little bit into a shorter period.”

A shared mission

It’s a massive undertaking, and one that would be difficult to accomplish without as many hands on deck as possible. 

The protests have attracted a wide range of supporters – not just vegans. Animal Rebellion’s spokesperson explained that some activists are campaigning for the systemic shift away from animal agriculture while not following a plant-based diet themselves. This is the case for some non-vegan Extinction Rebellion activists, who still agree that updating the food system is ‘totally the right message’.

“They really support it. They agree that animal farming is killing the planet and they’re willing to get arrested for it. It’s amazing,” the spokesperson said, referring to actual recent events.

“If we said to them, ‘oh if you’re not 100 percent vegan you can’t join us’, we’d be missing out on these people who are really committed, really passionate and want to do great things,” they continued. “It’s helping us be bigger and broader than we would’ve been otherwise. And I think once people are in our spaces, which are animal product-free, it kind of helps them shift anyway.”

The post Here’s Why There Are So Many Animal Freedom Protests Happening Right Now appeared first on Plant Based News.

Cheavon Clarke

Thirty-year-old Clarke began boxing when he was 18. He’s now the top boxer in the UK, and the fifth-best in the world. 

The Jamaican-born British boxer snagged a silver medal in the 2017 European Championships. The following year, he secured bronze medals at the 2018 EU Championships and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In 2019, Clarke achieved a bronze medal at the European Games.

This year, Clarke stepped it up again when he competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in the Men’s Heavy (81-91kg).

Plant-based diet

His growing list of achievements has attracted a deserving amount of attention. As well as talking all things boxing, Clarke has promoted the plant-based movement in mainstream media, something he says comes easily to him.

“It’s been quite natural because it’s something that I did anyway. It’s been received well I think, I haven’t tried to push it down people’s throats so people are willing to listen,” he said to Plant Based News.

Clarke adopted an animal product-free diet in October 2018. “One day I was eating meat, and the next day I said I’m done with meat, dairy, and all of that. And then just went on a journey from there,” he said. 

The move raised eyebrows for some, he said. But Clarke assures that the diet works well for him – improving his digestion and recovery times.

“There’s not a lot of time between training, resting, eating, training again. So being able to eat something, digest it, have a quick little rest, and go again. It’s great. Before when I was eating meat, that took a lot longer,” he said. 

Leading by example

Some people hold on to the narrative that ‘real men eat meat’. To that, Clarke says: “Come and do three rounds with me in the ring.”

“Nah I’m joking,” he assured. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion and it’s not for me to try and correct them. I just do what I do and they’ll see the results. And then they have to check themselves.

“You can go back and forth with people, you’ll be at a standstill argument. If somebody believes something, they’ll believe it. As I said, it’s just for you to show and prove rather than being there talking all day.”

He believes this approach can encourage people to try it for themselves. “I think when you try and push things in people’s faces you get the opposite reaction,” he said. 

“Whereas if you lead by example and just do your own thing, people are more likely to ask ‘oh, why are you doing that?’ and actually try it. And that’s the opportunity to show them why it’s good.”

“You can’t judge everybody on the same thing. All of our bodies are different, and all our palettes are different … I know it works for me. And there’s other people that say it works for them and that’s all that matters.”

“I’m sure if other people try it, it will work for them as well,” he later said.

Eating meat- and dairy-free has ‘gotten easier over time’, Clarke said. “At first there weren’t as many meat-free variants, but now there’s plenty.” 

“Just go and try it for yourself man … Just try it, if you don’t like it, that’s fine. If you do like it, you’re on a new adventure. You know, happy days.”

GB athlete, Cheavon Clarke has recently partnered with Birds Eye Green Cuisine range. The Birds Eye Green Cuisine range includes meat-free meatballs, grilled chicken pieces, burgers, and sausages. The products are made from pea protein, so are rich in fiber and protein, as well as being a good source of iron.

The post Vegan Olympian Boxer Cheavon Clarke Reveals Recovery Times Improved After Ditching Meat appeared first on Plant Based News.

The data, commissioned by No Meat May, also found that 51 percent of participants associate a diet that contains a lot of meat with being more masculine.

Moreover, 30 percent of men said they believe humans are meant to eat meat – and 39 percent of respondents said they’d prefer to not date a vegan.

While 76 percent say they care about the environment… Only 26 percent would stop eating meat to reduce their environmental impact.

‘Worrying stereotypes’

Ryan Alexander is the Founder of No Meat May. In a statement sent to PBN, he said: “The survey has uncovered some worrying stereotypes around meat-eating and how consuming a diet that’s heavy in meat products is viewed by both men and women as being masculine, despite the associated health, environmental and social concerns. 

“We want to challenge these destructive beliefs about men and their meat.

“Why do we expect our boys to eat meat to be considered manly? What’s more masculine than protecting people and the planet? 

“Significant research over many years has shown that eating meat and other animal products is not only hugely damaging to the environment… But can increase the risk of developing certain cancers, obesity, and reduced life expectancy. 

“The pandemic has also served to highlight the link between animal consumption and public health crises. 

‘It’s concerning how many young men and women we surveyed said they’ve eaten meat to fit in and avoid being mocked, even though many want to cut down their meat consumption, and care about protecting the environment and saving the lives of animals.”

‘Quite alarming’

Dr. Shireen Kassam is the founder of Plant Based Health Professionals UK.

She added: “This survey highlights a real disconnect between the science and public attitudes relating to meat consumption. 

“Given that eating meat, particularly red and processed meat, is a leading risk factor for some of our commonest chronic illnesses… It’s quite alarming to learn how entrenched some myths and beliefs about a vegan diet actually are. 

“This is undoubtedly a result of decades of effective marketing and PR by the meat industry. 

“Removing meat from the diet and replacing it with healthy plant foods is one of the best things you can do for your health. 

“There is even evidence to suggest that avoiding meat improves sexual function and sperm quality in men!   

“In addition, adopting a vegan diet is one of the most impactful actions we can take as individuals to reduce our carbon footprint. And, play our part in addressing the climate and ecological crises.

“In 2021, maybe we should consider taking care of your mental and physical health and caring about the environment as ‘manly and masculine’.”

No Meat May

No Meat May calls on the public to eliminate meat for 31 days for health, environmental and social reasons.

More than 100,000 people are expected to take part in the 2021 campaign globally. This is an increase of 100 percent from last year. 

However, 90 percent of sign-ups currently are women. No Meat May says this ’emphasizes this major disparity between the sexes in their attitudes towards adopting a meat-free diet’. 

Learn more about No Meat May here

The post 1 In 10 Young British Men Would Rather Go To Jail Than Stop Eating Meat, Survey Finds appeared first on Plant Based News.

The data, commissioned by No Meat May, also found that 47 percent saw eating meat as a ‘masculine undertaking’. 

While 81 percent of participants said they care about the environment – a staggering 79 percent said they wouldn’t give up meat to help the planet. 

Men vs meat-free diets

Ryan Alexander is the co-founder of No Meat May. According to Men’s Health, he said: “Three-quarters of men [are] not convinced of the health benefits of a meat-free diet, despite the mounting evidence to the contrary.

“Significant research over many years has shown that eating meat and other animal products increases the risk of developing certain cancers, heart disease, obesity and having a reduced life expectancy.

“[It’s also]one of the biggest contributors to global warming and the destruction of our environment.”

Alexander then described the survey as ‘alarming’ – stating it shows ‘Australian men are either not aware of any of these facts, don’t believe them, or simply don’t care’. 

No Meat May

Last year, No Meat May saw a record number of sign-ups.

The campaign supports people as they sign a month-long meat-free pledge. It provides free advice as well resources on how to cook affordable, healthy plant-based meals, and dietary advice.

According to organizers, the effects of the campaign last well after the month is over, with 94 percent of past participants going on to reduce their meat consumption.

You can learn more about No Meat May here

The post Over 70% Of Men Say They’d Rather Cut Their Life Expectancy Than Ditch Meat, Poll Finds appeared first on Plant Based News.

The project is run by the animal protection charity Mercy For Animals and helps farmers transition to growing plant-based crops. Thus, revolutionizing the current system which, he says ‘exploits anything in its path’.

Rashmit discusses growing up in India, where the dairy industry is still dominated by small farmers. Attitudes towards farmers need to change – and it’s all tied up in privilege, he explains.

What is TransFARMation?

TransFARMation is a project which aids farmers and helps switch the supply chain: ‘Supply follows demand’, says Rashmit.

On the podcast, he explained how three farmers were in the process of switching to farming hemp and mushrooms. This can be achieved over time. One farmer has converted one of his multiple barns previously used to house chickens, into a mushroom farm whilst he learns the basics.

TransFARMation aspires to ‘create a ripple effect and pull all these other farmers to go out and transition for themselves’. The company helps with grant applications and sets farmers up with buyers.

Rashmit explains: “The sentiment of wanting to get out of animal farming is prevalent beyond what you would think. A lot of farmers have realised the hole they have dug themselves into, unfortunately – and want to get out but don’t really know how.”

Since the podcast was released, two more farmers have signed up.

In a statement sent to Plant Based News, Rashmit said: “The transitions are going well, but it’s important to keep in mind that transFARMing is a time-consuming process that is affected by a lot of different variables.

“It’s also impacted by our capacity and bandwidth, which is limited right now.”

‘The controllers of the system will do anything to satisfy their bottom line’

Rashmit is angry at the food system which he says abuses farmers as well as the environment. He said: “It basically exploits everything in its path in order to achieve that triple bottom line.”

It’s a system that traps farmers into contracts. In the US, a ‘tournament system’ is used which is used to ‘pit farmers against each other’. This leads to vast wage disparities, and it functions on maximizing the ratio between the weight of a chicken and how much feed was used.

“The top four percent of US farms, they account for about 74 percent of US farm sales – whilst the bottom 76 percent of farms make a mere three percent of sales, something like that. So, there’s a huge disparity between what the larger operators control compared to what the smaller contract farms are doing.”

Rashmit highlighted the ‘extremely shocking’ conditions meatpacker workers across the US have faced since the outbreak of COVID-19.

“The controllers of the system will do anything to satisfy their bottom line, which is essentially just profits”, he said.

For Rashmit, privilege is a key part of the conversation: “Being ethical is about being conscientious towards other human beings.”

What does it cost farmers to switch?

So how do farmers escape the system?

The going price for CBD and hemp products is fairly high, says Rashmit. But the profitability depends on their scale of production. TransFARMation’s research with hemp and mushroom industry ‘veterans’ indicates that farmers who switch to growing these plant-based crops will ‘significantly increase’ their previous income.

Rashmit explained that if a chicken farmer were to convert one barn into a Shittake mushroom house, profit predictions stretch to $80,000. It would also require less growing space.

Rashmit’s vegan journey

Growing up between Mumbai and the Middle East, Rashmit’s journey to veganism came after a childhood consuming food ‘lathered’ in butter and ghee.

His grandmother went vegetarian after visiting a wet market and watching a chicken be slaughtered. ‘I always knew this story’, he said.

“In the back of any meat eater’s head there’s this awareness that if you do see it, you know that it’s ugly and it’s not something you would do yourself. 

“We just detach ourselves from the reality of how the food we consume comes to our plate.”

India‘s surprising farming system

Ditching meat isn’t as popular in India as some people think it is, says Rashmit – with ‘around 70 percent’ of the population still eating meat. Despite that, attitudes are changing – with The Times of India heralding the benefits of a plant-based diet.

However, it is still the largest producer of cow’s milk in the world. Despite this, the factory farming model hasn’t taken off, Rashmit explains. ‘Small dairy farming is still prevalent in India’ – with ’70 million’ small dairy farmers across the country.

“About a decade ago, [dairy giant] Danon tried to enter the Indian market and establish a factory farming model but failed because it wasn’t able to compete with a small farmer who was producing milk and delivering it to a neighbor.

“I think that’s fascinating because they’ve tried for several years and they actually ended up exiting the market – it wasn’t profitable for them to stay in the country.

Whilst Rashmit believes no one should drink cow’s milk unless they ‘need’ to, he stresses that in order to change the animal agriculture system, those small farmers need to be supported.

What can consumers do to help?

With Rashmit and his transFARMing farmers leading the way, consumers can help by buying more plant-based products.

Speaking since recording the podcast, he said: “If you demand it, producers will have to figure out a way to produce it. If you demand more plant-based foods and household products – that implies an increase in the demand for plant-based ingredients. This, in turn, implies an increase in the need to increase to re for projects such as TransFARMation.”

The company has since established the TransFARMation certification program.

Similar to the Vegan Trademark, it directs consumers towards certified produce. This allows consumers to inform supermarkets they support the concept of farms transitioning from raising animals to growing plants.

Rashmit explains: “If consumers want it, supermarkets will stock it, which means they will buy from transitioning farmers, thereby ensuring that the farmers run a successful business.”

Listen to the podcast episode on Apple Podcasts or via Spotify.

Learn more about Transfarmation via the website.

The post The TransFARMation Project: From Animal Farming To Growing Plants appeared first on Plant Based News.

It has been propelled into the mainstream by the likes of Joe Rogan – who regularly promotes the diet on his podcast.

But is it healthy? And what does the science say?

What can you eat on the carnivore diet?

Firstly, it’s important to note that definitions of the carnivore diet appear to differ slightly between different sources. Some adherents rely entirely on raw meat, others cook it.

Some followers of the carnivore diet choose to include small amounts of low-lactose dairy products in their meals, as well as eggs. However, many stick to exclusively to chicken, pork, lamb, beef turkey, organ meats.

Tea, coffee, and other drinks made from plants are typically not allowed on the diet. Neither are beans, legumes, starches, fruit, or vegetables.

What do the experts say?

Leading plant-based health expert Dr. Neal Barnard regularly speaks out about the carnivore diet. In an exclusive interview with Plant Based News, he branded the diet ‘even more stupid than keto’.

Dr. Barnard made his comments about the diet with speaking to PBN Klaus Mitchell, in a quickfire-style interview format.

“Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, people came up with something even stupider [than low carb diets including Atkins and Keto],” Dr. Barnard said of the carnivore diet.

“These things won’t last, but they come up. They don’t stay popular for very long, and that’s because a low carbohydrate diet eliminates more than half of what you normally eat. 

“Carbohydrates are fruits and starchy vegetables, and starchy grains, and beans – all these things your body is designed for. They are all gone. So if you stop eating so many foods, you’re going to lose weight. But as time goes on, people can’t live with that.

“And it’s lucky they can’t live with [the restriction] because the risk of all the animal products over the long run include heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, among others.

“And they’ve been kind of sneaky with it. It used to be when they did studies on low carbohydrate diets they would more honestly describe when people had adverse reactions, like massively high cholesterol levels. Now they just report averages, so the average cholesterol only went up about 10 points.

“What actually happened was that some dropped because they were losing weight, for others they went through the roof and they’re hiding that from you.”

Is the carnivore diet safe?

Most concerns surrounding the carnivore diet are in relation to lack of vitamins it provides, particularly vitamin C.

In an online interview Cardiologist Dr. Joel Kahn criticised people who ‘cling’ to the carnivore diet ‘as a panacea’.

“The big puzzle is…one of the things that plant-based eaters…get way more than anyone else is Vitamin C, which builds healthy walls, builds healthy immune systems…Vitamin C has so many benefits to the body.

“Where are these people – where every chart says meat has no Vitamin C – getting it? Are they eating raw meat that may contain it? Are they eating organ meat?”

Last year, celebrity singer James Blunt revealed he once got scurvy after adopting a carnivore diet ‘to annoy vegans’.

Scurvy, which is caused by extreme vitamin C deficiency, causes symptoms including bleeding gums, rotting teeth, and fatigue among others.

Is meat healthy?

Most health organizations advocate for low consumption of meat, particularly red meat which The World Health Organization classifies as a Group 2A carcinogen.

This means products such as pork, beef, and lamb ‘probably cause cancer’.

Moreover, the WHO says the strongest evidence for an association with eating red meat is for colorectal cancer. However, there is also evidence of links with pancreatic and prostate cancer.

Heart disease

Diets consisting solely of animal products will most likely be high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Dr. Joel Kahn says excessive amounts of saturated fat ‘conclusively’ cause heart disease.

The cardiologist spoke to Plant Based News‘ Klaus Mitchell about how a new publication sheds light on the debate about dietary saturated fat and cardiovascular health.

The paper, titled Reduction in Saturated Fat Intake for Cardiovascular Disease, was published by the Cochrane Database, which is considered by many to be the most respected research group in the world.

Discussing the paper, Dr. Kahn told Mitchell: “This new super review by the Cochrane Database…looked at 16 of the best studies, 59,000 people, very detailed information about their diet. Some had high saturated fat diets by design of the study. Some had low saturated fat diets – more meat, more butter, more cheese, less meat, less butter, less cheese.

“At the end of the day, they found that within two years, we can enjoy a 21 percent reduction in our risk of heart attack, stroke, of congestive heart failure, dying of heart disease. And if we do more than the average, if we change our diet more than just average, so there’s essentially no meat, butter, cheese, turkey, and pork, we’ll see even bigger results.”

Are humans designed to eat meat?

A popular argument for the carnivore diet is that humans are designed to eat meat. However, a slew of medical professionals have debunked this claim.

Dr. Justine Butler, from Viva!, says: “Carnivores have sharp teeth and claws that help them to rip their prey apart, tearing off chunks of raw meat and ‘wolfing’ them down without the aid of a knife and fork.

“Their acidic stomachs help to digest flesh quickly and their short intestines allow the rapid expulsion of rotting meat remains. 

“Herbivores, such as rabbits, horses, and sheep, chew from side-to-side and have longer intestines to absorb nutrients. Their saliva (and ours) contains amylase, an enzyme that helps digest starchy carbohydrates found in bread, rice, and other whole grains. 

“Carnivores don’t spend as much time chewing nor do they consume many carbohydrates, so there is no need for amylase in their saliva.

“Their strong jaws can only open and shut and are incapable of moving from side to side as ours do.”

The post The Carnivore Diet: Is It Healthy? What Do The Experts Say? appeared first on Plant Based News.

Vegan actor Joaquin Phoenix scooped the Best Actor statue for his highly acclaimed performance in Joker, back in February. But he’s been a winner for animal rights for decades. Here, he discusses a range of topics – from the environment to how he deals with pushback for his activism, and why being vegan is so important now more than ever.

Vegan for life

Phoenix went vegan when he was just three-years-old. He says it happened when he and his siblings witnessed fish being killed in an aggressive way. He told Brut it was something the family immediately decided they wanted to have no part in.

“To me, it just seems obvious,” he said.

Since then, Phoenix has gone on to lend his cred to films, campaigns, and protests around the world in the name of saving animals. He narrated the 2005 documentary Earthlings. Regarded as one of the most important animal rights films of all time, Earthlings details the exploitation of animals for food, clothing, research, and entertainment.

Phoenix has appeared in a number of campaigns for animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.) Before his Oscar win, he was eye-to-eye with a chicken in a PETA billboard campaign in Times Square. “We are all animals,” the billboard read.

He’s also appeared in PETA ads calling for an end to the wool industry. He sported a vegan suit in that campaign and exposed the horrific conditions sheep raised for their wool endure.

Both Phoenix and his fiancé, actor Rooney Mara, narrated another animal rights film: 2018’s Dominion. Much like Earthlings, this film exposes animal cruelty in Australia.

The couple have also appeared at protests and slaughterhouse vigils together.

‘Amplify the voices of activists’

Phoenix has been more publicly active when it comes to animal advocacy recently. PBN asked what prompted the change. The actor told PBN’s Klaus Mitchell that he – and his activism – has become more visible in recent times, but also that “things are really dire right now.”

“I think that when it’s your time to step up, it comes to you. I’ve always had a hard time imposing my personal beliefs on others, I’ve never wanted to do that…but things are really dire right now and the evidence is overwhelming that there is an incontrovertible link between the meat and dairy industry and climate change,” Phoenix told PBN.

“I think it’s something that people are waking up to, they realize that they cannot be protectors of the environment and not be vegan. It feels right and there is an opportunity, I have the opportunity to amplify the voice of the activists that are out here every day, or weekly, doing their work.

“And so I’m in a very unique position to be able to talk about their great work and to amplify their message. And so I think we just find the way that we can play our parts.”

Turning awards season vegan

Phoenix was reportedly a key player in promoting plant-based diets this awards season. He has been credited for inspiring a slew of award ceremonies – including the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Award – to serve all-vegan menus.

Sources told Variety that it was Phoenix who “suggested the idea to the Globes.”

Phoenix won multiple awards for his Joker role, including a SAG Award and Golden Globe on top of his Oscar. He used his speeches to highlight social injustices. At the BAFTA awards he discussed racism; at the Oscars, he tackled dairy.

Animal rights Oscars’ speech

Phoenix’s Academy Award speech went viral. The longtime vegan used his platform to take aim at the way we plunder natural resources. He took particular issue with the dairy industry, too.

“We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal,” he said in his speech.

But the actor called for hope, and unity in undoing the damage.

Phoenix continued: “I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes. But for me, I see commonality. I think, whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice.

“We’re talking about the fight against the belief that one nation, one people, one race, one gender, one species, has the right to dominate, use and control another with impunity.I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. Many of us are guilty of an egocentric world view, and we believe that we’re the center of the universe. 

“We fear the idea of personal change, because we think we need to sacrifice something; to give something up. But human beings at our best are so creative and inventive, and we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and the environment.”

This interview took place during an Earthlings Experience action in central London. During the action, activists wearing masks hold a screen playing footage from the documentary Earthlings. Other activists perform outreach, engaging in a respectful dialogue with passersby, and handing out flyers with resources and information.

The post EXCLUSIVE: PBN Interview With Vegan Oscar-Winner Joaquin Phoenix appeared first on Plant Based News.

Ex-veteran Paul William Minter says he ‘could never go back’ to eating animal products after discovering veganism at the beginning of this year.

Minter, who will soon be running the circumference of the U.K to raise money for his mental health charity Head Up, made the comment in an exclusive interview with Plant Based News.

‘Peak performance’

“Throughout my life, I always thought meat and products like eggs were the way forward [and that] you have to eat them to have a healthy balanced diet,” he told PBN.

“So last year, for example, I did bodybuilding, an Iron Man competition, Crossfit competition, and several other stuff and I was pretty much living off a fish and egg diet throughout the time – and I was like ‘I cannot be at peak performance if I don’t have this stuff’.”

‘I was completely oblivious’

Minter credits his lifestyle change to his new partner, who told him a plant-based diet can be rich in ‘fiber, vitamins, and minerals’.

“I learned about red meat and how bad it is for you so I said ‘right take red meat out of the equation straight away’ and then it was just birds and fish,” Minter added, “Then I started learning more about the ethical and environmental reasons.

“I didn’t even know [about]deforestation, I didn’t realize when you saw the eyes of animals as they go into a slaughterhouse and stuff like that, [the] separation, and how they impregnate cows – I was completely oblivious to it – whether I was deliberately oblivious to it or I just generally didn’t know but it opened my eyes up.

“The environmental and ethical reasons for me outweighed the health benefits for me so after seeing the way they treated animals I could never ever going back to being part of that myself.”

You can donate to Minter’s fundraiser here

The post EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Veteran Who Lived Off ‘Fish And Egg’ Diet Turns Vegan: ‘I Could Never Go Back’ appeared first on Plant Based News.