In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.
Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.
After you’ve walked another’s path without shoes, buy your next pair from TOMS, a company with several vegan friendly options that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold.
Comments Off on Rip Esselstyn “The Engine 2 Diet” Author Inspires The Hegans
Not long ago, Boston.com featured an article on men who eschew the stereotype that meat equals masculinity and opt for a vegan diet and lifestyle.
“Hegans” are what these male vegans are called and the name will probably stick in the media like metrosexual did a few years ago.
One of the more famous hegans described is author of The Engine 2 Diet, Rip Essestyn, a firefighter out of Austin, Texas.
“He helped the men in his department lower their cholesterol in 28 days by shunning animal protein and then turned his efforts into the best-selling “The Engine 2 Diet’’ (Wellness Central). Though not billed as a vegan diet per se, Esselstyn’s “plant-strong’’ lifestyle helps lower cholesterol by going meat-, egg-, and dairy-free, he says. “Sure there is a stigma attached to it, that it’s for yuppie, tree-hugging, emaciated weaklings,’’ he says. “That is far from the truth. I like to say that real men eat plants.’’”
The clip above shows Esselstyn demonstrating how to be manly.
Comments Off on John Salley Back By Demand To VegFest Michigan
Rory Freedman and John Salley are headlining the Michigan VegFest, a taste fest and expo hosted by VegMichigan, folks who were no doubt proud of their governor’s latest initiative to officially invite residents to participate in Meat Out Day.
The event will take place from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday, April 18 at Ferndale High School and will feature food from local restaurants, cooking and raw food demonstrations, prizes and more.
Former Piston and TV personality Salley is back by demand after his appearance last year drew a record breaking 2,000 fans, according to the Daily Tribune.
Combining Salley’s presence with Freedman, who will likely draw a crowd who follow her based on her best selling book, Skinny Bitch, let’s hope this year’s fest is the biggest!
Comments Off on Karl Lagerfeld Designs Cola-Cola Bottle. Should You Drink It?
Karl Lagerfeld recently designed the bottle for Cola-Cola in France, which includes his silhouette and a pink cap.
Limited editions of this bottle, along with an opener, are being sold for $64 in France.
Lagerfeld is a big fan of Diet Coke, as he claims he lost almost 100 pounds drinking the beverage and eating steamed veggies, according to the Huffington Post.
Hopefully, there was a vegetable protein thrown in the veggies like pasta or tofu to make it healthier.
What worked for Lagerfeld (who currently still doesn’t eat meat) may not be the best option, as diet sodas and sodas in general probably contain ingredients from the Don’t Eat That List.
In addition, studies have found that diet sodas may actually increase weight gain as they make it harder to control your food intake.
Rats were given both yogurt sweetened with glucose and sweetened with a non-caloric sweetener.
The dieting rats gained more weight, put on more body fat and failed to cut back at the next dinner.
While rats aren’t people, the authors cited evidence that people who drink more diet sodas are at a higher risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, a collection of medical problems like high blood pressure and insulin resistance that puts you at risk for heart disease and diabetes.
An iPhone app that might interest those unfamiliar with ingredients or who want to make sure nothing new crosses the threshold of otherwise vegetarian, natural and non-carcinogenic is the “Don’t Eat That” app.
With its obvious warning in the title, the app allows you to search for over 1,500 ingredients in foods (many of which are banned outside the U.S.) you may want to avoid because of possible allergens and other toxic effects.
A neat feature of “Don’t Eat That” is that the descriptions are also helpful in discerning whether the ingredient is derived from animals, like this cochineal extract.
That pretty color from your dental rinse is from insects.
Bugs in your mouth, anyone?
For more information, visit the Don’t Eat That homepage or download at itunes.
Comments Off on Treehugger Graham Hill Offers Lunch Solution For Your Work Week
kentgoldman on Flickr
Like many considering vegetarianism, for Graham Hill, founder of the environmental website Treehugger, the thought of the “last burger” was similar to what some pets might think about a visit to the veterinarian for spaying/neutering.
Instead of ignoring the environmental problems of eating meat and continuing to do so, he struck a deal with himself that allowed him lighten his impact with deprivation.
“Either you’re a meat-eater or you’re a vegetarian and I guess I just wasn’t ready. Imagine: Your last burger. So, my common sense and my good intentions clashed with my taste buds and lead me to commit to doing it “later”. And later never came. Sound familiar? I wondered “Could there be a 3rd option?” And I found one, and I ‘ve been doing it for the last year and it works. It’s called Weekday Vegetarian. And the name says it all. Nothing with a face during the week and on the weekends, your call.”
Weekday vegetarianism may find you keeping your promise to yourself and the earth easier, given the fact meals during the week are usually for work. Taking time to plan ahead for your lunches may force you to try new items, improving both your cooking skills and repertoire.
The old standard PB & J every day works just as well.
