#Plant based food

[its-the-world-that-falls-away]

I HATE when people are like “omg i hate vegan food I cannot not eat meat” first of all I’ve seen you eat noodles with some seasoning and call it a meal and second of all you’re a coward

[mali-umkin]

Four years of veganism later 🌱

[vegan-nom-noms]

Crispy Oven Fried Vegan Potato Tacos (Tacos De Papa)

[brunchbinch]

Vegan Breakfast Burritos from Egg Tuck in West Hollywood (x)

[letstalkbeautyuk]

Vegan themed badges. Mr Koolbadges & I are plant based and we love wearing our Veganism themed badges. Pop over & have a look at all our designs >>

[rebelwheelssoapbox]

The Influences Of Ableism in Veganism: A Disabled Vegan Perspective

by Michele Sommerstein

I don't know about you, but for me between the multiple genocides, the rise in COVID cases, the massive COVID denial, the related rise in mask bans, the elections, police violence, the rising threat of fascism, climate change, and so many other issues – for fuck's sake! it's a lot. And so lately, I've been feeling like while I am doing what I can to be part of the collective effort for justice, (for another world is possible), I can't only make protest art. My heart also needs lighter projects.

[image description: a collage. background is a field with a blue sky and white clouds and a field of rows of flowers of various colors. standing in the field is a silhouette of a pig that takes up most of the art. their shape is filled with a photo of from the universe (space) there is a human eye on them that slightly blends in with the space pattern. lastly behind them but towards the right is a pink cosmo flower with an orange center. as if the pig is smelling the flower. ] And so recently I've returned to making vegan content. But not some call for intersectionality, articles discussing inner-movement issues, kill counter references, and environmental stats, as I had done in the past. Just lighter. And perhaps because it has been a while since I have made vegan content, I found myself unexpectedly reflecting on the intersections of my disability and vegan identity. Before my disability identity-themed YouTube show (Rebelwheels NYC), I had a short-lived vegan cooking show called My Easily Amused Kitchen.

[image description: video thumbnail. a screenshot from the video taken in my apartment. a white wall and a purple couch behind me. text reads MEAK ep 1 creamy pea soup of vast fantasticness! my easily amused kitchen. there is olive oil being poured onto a bowl of peas. and I am pointing with my finger up sitting next to a penguin stuffed animal. I have glasses, a black shirt, and longer hair with bangs] And looking back on that time, I realize that I really wasn't being fully authentic in the videos. Of course, it was done in my motorized wheelchair and there was some of my quirky humor, but I remember I often downplayed any kind of physical fatigue even though that is part of my disability.

You see, between my animal rights activism at the time and the vegan content that I watched on YouTube, I was very much familiar with the protein myth. The false idea that if you go vegan, that you will by default, be physically weak due to not being able to get enough protein on a vegan diet. Often I saw other (physically able-bodied) vegans whether in person or via YouTube videos who were very intentional about presenting veganism as part of an energetic lifestyle in an attempt to counteract said misinformation.

And there are many professional athletes who are vegan. I personally knew a guy (not professional) who was vegan, who lifted weights and ran marathons with ease.

[image description: The background is a colorful collage of blue, yellow, and pink. The main text reads pity is not compassion! The vibe is artsy and punk. There is smaller text on top that reads spare us your pity we want our rights! And then towards the lower left-hand corner, it reads intersectional disability solidarity. Lastly underneath the word compassion is the phrase unlearn ableism.]

And then there was me, a disabled vegan, and not Paralympic disabled, disabled with low spoons (slang term for energy), disabled with health problems, disabled where muscle weakness is literally part of my disability. And now I can type that and say “represent” with a sense of disability pride, but back then it almost felt like it was a hindrance to the cause. And to be clear, no one ever said to me “hide parts of your disability for the movement.” It was just the way it was presented that made me feel like I should. And it wasn't just the impression I got from a lot of people in the vegan community. I could sneeze and an omnivore would say “Is that because you're vegan?” (as if they themselves never sneezed?)

As a result, I was very aware of how my disability was somewhat being linked to the protein myth. As if I wouldn't be disabled if I wasn't vegan. As if people aren't born with disabilities. As if disability and veganism were somehow incompatible.

[image description: white background. black typewriter font. "Ableism is... (a form of) discrimination. The false idea that disabled people are by default, inferior. When in truth disability is just another way for a mind and/or body to be." ] And so part of me felt that to show my truth was feeding into that weakened stereotype, thus hurting the movement and thus hurting the animals, which obviously as a vegan and animal rights activist, you don't want to do.

Looking back, it was also a lot of internalized ableism on my part, for I had yet to be aware that ableism was even a word, let alone working to unlearn it, and certainly had not yet found my groove and voice in my disability identity.

That said, I now see how essential it is to have a variety of vegan representation in all areas but in this case, ability and health.

And so, in the name of creating something lighter, and because it just so happened that I needed a new vegan cheese (long story), I filmed a taste test where I was un-apologetically me. Full throttle neurodivergent, processing delays, immensely honest, not downplaying when I was physically fatigued or in pain nor the fact that while there are many vegan cheeses out there, I could not try a lot of them, due to dietary intolerances and ingredient sensitivities.

[image description: tumblr has cropped the video thumbnail. the full thumbnail is as follows. Background gold glitter. Over that rainbow stripes. Purple blue green yellow orange red and dark red. To the left a photo of myself wearing a silence equals death with a watermelon pink triangle symbol on it holding up a piece of vegan cheese. I have oversized black cat eye eyeglasses and my rainbow flower crown hair band is pushing back my dark hair. Next to me is a collage of various vegan cheeses. And over that is the text in a bold black font "disabled and neurodivergent vegan taste test vegan cheese." Every line has a white rectangle behind it and behind that is a black rectangle shadow. In white text with a black rectangle behind it. "Not sponsored. Very honest."] And as a result of being authentic and sharing my truth, I'm starting to come across other disabled vegans like me, chronically ill vegans, neurodivergent vegans, etc. and it's lovely Many years ago, I wrote an article entitled Is Veganism Ableist? A Disabled Vegan Perspective. And in regard to the ideas of veganism, the answer remains no. However, I do think in the wanting and sometimes desperation to do all we can to save the animals (and to a certain degree, the planet as animal agriculture is one of the larger contributors to climate change), a lot of us took action to dispel the protein myth, and while in ways it was good, some of our actions had consequences that also caused harm. It is a reminder that when we take action to fight misinformation, we must make sure that we are also not punching down in the process (whether intentionally or not.) This is something that goes far beyond veganism. In the end, us vegans from marginalized communities must represent with as much realness as possible, not only so people know that vegans vary, but so other marginalized people who are perhaps 'vegan-curious', will know that they too are welcomed in the movement. After all, the animals need as many allies as they can get. (Author's Note: In the past, I have written articles using my birth name Michele Kaplan. However, in the past year, I have decided to use my mother's maiden name, and thus why this article is by Michele Sommerstein, while past articles are by Michele Kaplan. Same person. I didn't get married. This just felt right to me for personal reasons)

[gentle-isnt-kind]

"Vegan food is gross", "I could never go vegan I'd miss [x product] too much", "plant based food isn't the same"

Shut up shut up shut up, you just don't know how to cook.

I make a cottage pie out of lentils that my mother loves more than the meat version, she made me make it for Christmas Dinner.

When my family don't know what to cook, they beg me to make this chickpea and sweet potato curry that they love.

My coworkers went crazy for some peanut butter brownies I gave them.

Stop blaming veganism when you just aren't seasoning your food well.

[nathancone]

Interview: Ellen Evans, co-owner of Earth Burger

For a decade now, San Antonio-based Earth Burger has been pioneering plant-based food at their flagship burger stand, located near Loop 410 and Blanco in the Park North shopping center. The key to their success? It’s freaking delicious, from the crispy fries to the signature Earth Burger, which has a flavor profile that pleased even my meat-and-potatoes father! Earlier this summer I took a few minutes after our meal to chat with Ellen Evans, “Director of Community Love” at Earth Burger. She also happens to be one of the two founders of the company, along with her husband Paul, and chef Mike Behrend, who also creates the delicious dishes at  Green Vegetarian Cuisine. Our interview below has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Read on to learn more about how going plant-based for even a day a week can be beneficial to both you, and the planet!

Nathan Cone: When you started this, what were you hoping for?

Ellen Evans: We really wanted a place where we could stop and get the kids something to eat quickly, because between the time we'd opened Green to Earth Burger, we had started families. So our children are the main reason we opened Earth Burger.

Has that been borne out by the clientele that comes in, [has it been families]?

The clientele really amazes me, because really it's all demographics, from young to young kids to grandparents, seniors, all ethnicities, everyone seems to have embraced Earth Burger, not just one demographic.

What kind of feedback do you get?

The people who are trying us are the… I would say that they're the cuisine curious, you know? They want to try it for the first time. Maybe they just want to eliminate meat one day out of the week. Obviously, we do have a captured audience with the plant-based and vegetarian community in town, but for those who try us for the first time, they're just amazed at just the flavors and the creativity that we've created at Earth Burger and we've really been a model to the rest of the nation when it comes to fast food, plant-based.

I saw at one point that there was a there were franchise options…

Yes, most definitely. All markets right now are available for franchising. Though, some states have tighter franchising rules, so it's a little bit harder to get in there. But right now, the Texas market is wide open.

There are a lot of documentaries and articles about different segments of the population that are embracing plant-based diets. And they may not be thinking of it in terms of, like, “I'm eating plant-based” but there was, like, an article at NPR a couple of years ago about the Latino audience, and their favorable response to plant based [food]. There was that documentary “The Invisible Vegan” a few years ago about the Black community in New York. It's interesting that that's out there.

Whenever a new documentary comes out, whether it's “The Game Changers,” it's “Forks Over Knives,” et cetera, that always creates a new ground swell of new customer base who want to try and change their diet and just try and eat a little bit more healthfully… I do not claim that our food is healthy, but it is a ��better for you” option than your next fast food restaurant around the corner, and it does take up less of a footprint on the planet when it comes to emissions and whatnot.

And how about flavors that you're looking at in terms of… what are you developing?

You know, our flavor profile is really where it's at. That's where we stand out. There's other places around the state that opened up plant-based burger stands and whatnot. But really, we've put so much thought and care into our home curated sauces and how we prepare our burgers that we stand out as as really a winner. And you can just look at our reviews and see that. Our goal has always been to provide really tasty, flavorful food that has always just been plant-based.

Anything that we didn't talk about that you think you want to mention?

We would not have made it for 10 years without our customer base and without the support of San Antonio. So I would just like to thank everyone, even if you've only tried Earth Burger once, just thank you for putting your faith in us and your support in us, for us to represent you.

[healthybeautyqueen]

HEALTH BENEFITS OF A VEGAN DIET: HOW A PLANT BASED DIET CAN TRANSFORM YO...

[vegandude72]

[zuckarr]

Some of my vegan dishes 💚💚💚 enjoyed by all!

[mactiir]

An unfortunate side effect of going thru consistent character development is sometimes ur perk selections clash. Like yeah I'm into hockey now. Hockey is sick af and sports entertainment is designed to be fun and I love having stuff to talk about with the straight white people my life. Yeah I'm vegetarian now. It slaps actually, my tummy doesn't hurt as much and once you focus on the veggies in a dish you can actually bring out incredible flavors like you've never dreamed of and it's the one consumption choice I've ever made that feels like it has an effect on literally anything.

But being a vegetarian AT a hockey game??? Literally an anxiety dream. A Tantalus roleplaying exercise. It's beefdogs all the way down, bros. Pulled pork sandwiches from wall to wall. What do i EAT bro?? Catch me trying to get drafted as a goalie so I can eat pucks cuz galvanized rubber isn't STRICTLY edible but at least it's not an animal product bro

[hashtagveganproblems]

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich

Check out the 🌱Vegans Be Like🌱 Discord server for more!

[hawthorn-bear]

Today on the menu: vegan Bolognese topped with vegan Parmesan. I bought a whole wedge the other day so that I could grate it, in hopes that it would be good. It didn't disappoint <3 The recipe is from here

[mansisharmasworld]

Exploring Plant-Based Diets

What is a Plant-Based Diet?

A plant-based diet emphasizes whole foods derived from plants while minimizing or eliminating animal products. This includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. While some people may choose to follow a strictly vegan diet (which excludes all animal products), others may include small amounts of meat or dairy but still prioritize plant foods.

Health Benefits of Plant-Based Eating

Nutrient-Rich Foods: Plant-based diets are typically rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber while being lower in calories than diets high in animal products.

Weight Management: Research indicates that individuals following plant-based diets tend to have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) compared to those consuming more animal products.

Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases: Numerous studies suggest that plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions.

Improved Digestive Health: High fiber intake from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains promotes healthy digestion by supporting gut health.

Environmental Impact: Adopting a plant-based diet can significantly reduce one’s carbon footprint as plant agriculture generally requires fewer resources than livestock farming.

Getting Started with a Plant-Based Diet

Transitioning to a plant-based diet doesn’t have to be overwhelming; here are some tips for making the switch:

Start Slow: Begin by incorporating more plant-based meals into your week rather than overhauling your entire diet at once.

Explore New Recipes: Discover new flavors by trying out different cuisines known for their plant-based dishes such as Mediterranean or Asian cooking.

Focus on Whole Foods: Prioritize whole grains over processed foods; opt for brown rice instead of white rice or whole grain bread instead of white bread.

Plan Your Meals: Meal planning can help ensure you’re getting balanced nutrition while making it easier to stick with your new eating habits.

Stay Informed About Nutrition: Educate yourself about essential nutrients like protein (found in legumes), iron (found in leafy greens), calcium (found in fortified plant milks), and vitamin B12 (which may require supplementation).