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Part Time Vegetarians “Flexitarians” On The Rise

Written by Vegetarian Star on Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 in Flexitarian, Food & Drink, Research + Science.

His and Her Shopping Baskets

Meat eaters who will forgo the hamburger on most days and opt for the pasta with “wheat” balls are on the rise.

According to a new study discussed in The Mirror, record numbers of flexitarians, or people who eat vegetarian sometimes are forming.

Sales of  products such as fake meats have doubled over the last decade in the UK, according to the Vegetarian Society.

“The real growth area is in ‘meat reducers’ – those who haven’t given up meat completely but who are making a conscious effort to eat less of it,” said Su Taylor, a spokesperson for the company.

There are different ways to incorporate a part-time vegetarian lifestyle.

Treehugger founder Graham Hill follows a weekday vegetarian plan, while author Mark Bittman recommends a “vegan until 6” deal.

Still, others eliminate some animal products entirely, like red meat and dairy, replacing them with plant based alternatives.

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RANT 071: Control Freak Vegetarian Bitch

Project Rant | MySpace Video

Project Rant features actors reenacting complaints from the anonymous “rants and raves” placed on Craig’s List.

Control Freak Vegetarian Bitch was posted by someone who didn’t like his or her dinner date asking the manager if the bun for the veggie burger had dairy in it.

Or if the beans could be ordered without butter.

Or if the portobello mushroom cap was grilled on the same grill with meat.

“You make it impossible for me to enjoy myself at a restaurant. I know why you do this. You want to have some small bit of power so you can wield it like some sort of fu*king flag. I think this is the real reason why you are a vegetarian. You like bullying the wait staff into listing the ingredients of every item and how each one is prepared.”

“It’s so embarrassing to go out to eat with you because I know you’ll pull this sh*t.”

Well, well.

It’s so obvious this was written after a fight or breakup with the vegetarian significant other.

There’s more and it just gets nastier in the above video.

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MacKenzie Green "Miss DC USA"

MacKenzie Green "Miss DC USA"

Miss New York USA Davina Reeves will have some competition for the Miss USA pageant that will crown the winner later this month if there’s a category of best vegan recipe.

MacKenzie Green, Miss District of Columbia USA, also stays away from meat and dairy, as she wrote in the bio of her Twitter page.

“I’m Miss DC USA 2010, a vegan, an aspiring sports reporter and a lot more…stay tuned for what’s to come.”

Green has been taking to Twitter to share her diet preference, making Tweets that are anti-cheese, anti-egg and making suggestions for vegetable tempura.

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"Earthlings" Barbi Twins

"Earthlings" Barbi Twins

The Barbi Twins appear on the new poster for the documentary Earthlings, which examines human dependence on animals for food, fashion, entertainment and more.

The twins, Shane and Sia, are U.S. spokespersons for the film which is set for international release and DVD distribution worldwide in August.

The poster plays on the Got Milk? campaigns with a vegan twist.

According to Go Veg, although a cow’s natural lifespan is about 25 years old, a dairy cow is usually sent to slaughter after 5 years once she can no longer produce milk.

Male cows get less life, as they are taken away from their mothers immediately and fed a diet low in nutrients that will result in the light flesh color found in veal.

Is this why Shane and Sia feel milk is murder?

The former Playboy magazine cover girls have a history of activism for animal rights, including a facebook page against the Canadian Seal Hunt.

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Ashley Greene Looking Lively And Lovely On Set!

Could a Twilight vegetarian vampire be a real vegan?

Ashley Greene was spotted taking her dog for a walk before stopping by vegan restaurant Real Food Daily for lunch.

Greene plays Alice Cullen in the Twilight, Eclipse and New Moon movies about a family of vegetarian vampires who call themselves such because they don’t eat humans like other vampires do, but they still eat animals in the wild.

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"Eating Animals" Jonathan Safran Foer

"Eating Animals" Jonathan Safran Foer

You always aced any literature test in high school by reading the Cliffs Notes.

That was, until your Honors English teacher decided to write test questions that specifically couldn’t be answered from the yellow book.

Some people!

If you haven’t read Jonathan Safran Foer‘s book about animals and factory farms, Eating Animals, perhaps you’d like to at least look over 10 main arguments he makes in his book for not consuming animals.

The summarized arguments on issues such as pollution, infected animals and human rights of employees may give you the push to give up eating animals entirely or provide arguments to people who ask why you choose vegetarianism.

Factory farmed animals contribute to antibiotic resistance:
“In the United States, about 3 million pounds of antibiotics are given to humans each year, but a whopping 17.8 million pounds are fed to livestock—at least that is what the industry claims. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has shown that the industry underreported its antibiotic use by at least 40 percent…. Study after study has shown that antimicrobial resistance follows quickly on the heels of the introduction of new drugs on factory farms.” (p 140)

Cruel treatment of animals before they’re even slaughtered:
“Animals are bled, skinned, and dismembered while conscious. It happens all the time, and the industry and the government know it. Several plants cited for bleeding or skinning or dismembering live animals have defended their actions as common in the industry and asked, perhaps rightly, why they were being singled out.” (p 230)

Need to study more before the big “test?”

Visit Sojourners for the other eight key points discussed in Foer’s book.

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Foie Gras Protests At Thomas Keller restaurants

Foie Gras Protests At Thomas Keller restaurants

Anti foie gras protests at Thomas Keller‘s restaurants ranged from mild to slightly aggressive, as Eater reports.

Members of The Animal Protection Rescue League targeted Per Se in New York, Bouchon in Los Angeles, and The French Laundry in Yountville, CA.

All three restaurants serve foie gras, the swollen liver of ducks and geese obtained by force feeding them through tubes.

The Bouchon crowd was reported to be the rowdiest, chanting phrases like, “You have blood on your hands” and “We will never back down, till you stop the killing.”

The French Laundry actually fed its protesters with lemonade and cookies and shared its daily “Tasting of Vegetables” event with them.

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Poet Benjamin Zephaniah has become one of several celebrities to join the campaign to ask the Malvern Conservators to reconsider their plans to close the vegetarian St. Ann’s Well Cafe in Malvern Hills in West Worcestershire, England.

According to a press release from the Save St. Ann’s Well campaign, Zephaniah contacted supporters to offer his thoughts, saying he was sad to hear about the closing.

“In the book Icons of England I named the Malvern Hills as my favourite place in England. I could have also said that St Anns Well cafe is my favourite place on the hills. It is unique, it is a treasure, it is fully in keeping with the hills, and is a sustainable enterprise. This cafe is a great example of the kind of ethical business that can carry us forward in the 21st century. It must be protected, it must be saved, it must just be for all of us. PS I recommend the chocolate cake!’”

The owner of the cafe, John Redman, has occupied the site of St. Ann’s Well for both his business and his residency for the past 20 years.

He was informed late last year that the Conservators would not be renewing his lease.

An online petition has been started in an attempt to persuade them to reverse their decision.

Hope this won’t be the last year for the chocolate cake Zephaniah likes so much.

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