Vegan Resources by Bethany Shannon

Vegan Introduction & Resources by Bethany Shannon 

I reject injustice. I reject oppression.

It's why I'm vegan. And it's why you should be too.#speciesism #whyvegan

"The idea that we have the right to inflict suffering and death on other sentient beings for the trivial reason of palate pleasure is, without a doubt, one of the most arrogant and morally repugnant notions in the history of human thought."

Veganism is NOT a diet. It's a moral imperative.
*** Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. ***

➡️ Documentaries:

▫️Ethics:
- "Earthlings" documentary: https://vimeo.com/209647801
- Dairy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI
- Eggs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-gSoXwFlIE

▫️Health:
- "What the health" on Netflix: http://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/facts
- "Food Choices" on Netflix
- Eggs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtGf2FuzKo4

▫️Environment:
- "Cowspiracy" on Netflix

▫️Why Vegan?
- 101 reasons to go vegan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4HJcq8qHAY
- Carnism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0VrZPBskpg
- "The most inspiring speech you will ever hear":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s6-NLxvKl0&t=68s
- "From excuse-itarian to vegan" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWD1Zze5Qo4&t=1697s

➡️ Nutrition information:
- Nutritionfacts.org
- http://www.pcrm.org/
- http://nutritionstudies.org/

➡️ Books:
- How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger
- Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis
- Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr.
- Program for Reversing Heart Disease by Dr. Dean Ornish
- The end of Heart Disease by Dr joel fuhrman
- Reversing Diabetes by Dr. Neal Barnard
- The Starch Solution by John McDougall MD
- The Cheese Trap by Dr. Neal Barnard

➡️ Vegan diets are healthful and are nutritionally adequate:

▫️ " It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864/
updated: http://www.eatrightpro.org/…/position%…/vegetarian-diet.ashx

▫️According to the World Health Organization and the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Households should select predominantly plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, pulses or legumes, and minimally processed starchy staple foods. The evidence that such diets will prevent or delay a significant proportion of non-communicable chronic diseases is consistent. A predominantly plant-based diet has a low energy density, which may protect against obesity."
http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e00.HTM

▫️ Kaiser Permanente (USA): "Healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, which we define as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods." They would also like to make plant-based diets the new normal for their patients and employees.
http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/…/s…/5117-nutrition.html

▫️ The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine promotes plant based diets:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets

▫️ "Vegans consume more fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, B6 (folate), B9, potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and iron."
https://academic.oup.com/…/A-scientific-review-of-the-repor…

▫️ "Overall nutrition, as assessed by the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, is typically better on vegetarian and vegan diets compared with omnivorous diets."
http://www.andjrnl.org/artic…/S2212-2672(16)31192-3/fulltext

▫️ Where to get your nutrients on a plant based diet:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/…

➡️ Websites for recipes:

https://minimalistbaker.com/
http://ohsheglows.com/
http://www.brandnewvegan.com/
http://thesavoryvegan.com/
http://veganyumminess.com/
https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/
http://www.theedgyveg.com/
https://www.forksoverknives.com/
https://www.rawtillwhenever.com/recipes/

➡️Vegan Youtubers:

That vegan couple: https://www.youtube.com/user/MoveMeYoga
Bite Sized Vegan:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCluiFIVPK1uGkB8TFUVgX5w
Mic the Vegan:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGJq0eQZoFSwgcqgxIE9MHw
Joey Carbstrong:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG6usHVNuRbexyisxE27nDw
Cheap Lazy Vegan:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEjkioV3LO_OIUaSWRxFZ3A
Caitlin Shoemaker:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0cxMY7jZ_kiE2bvykJffZA
High Carb Hannah: https://www.youtube.com/user/Rawkaholics
Bonny Rebecca:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOu3SAozsyQyKE2wDAIJtdQ
Sarah's vegan kitchen:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAbKLYEuTR1riockIgAWBiw
Ellen Fisher: https://www.youtube.com/user/MangoIslandMamma1
That vegan mom:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC76RjmepqqU50CsgGtscwAA

➡️ Vegan brands/products:

▫️Cheese: Follow Your Heart GO VEGGIE Field Roast Grain Meat Miyoko's Kitchen Daiya Foods Treeline Cheese Violife So Delicious Dairy Free Kite Hill
▫️ Milk/yogurt/ice cream: Elmhurst 1925 Good Karma Foods Silk Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Coffee-mate (they have almond based creamer) Breyers (they have almond based ice cream) Ben & Jerry's (they have almond based ice cream) Häagen-Dazs (they have almond based ice cream) So Delicious Dairy Free Califia Farms
▫️ Meat: gardein Tofurky Boca Beyond Meat Field Roast Grain Meat QuornYves Veggie Cuisine

➡️ Apps/websites:
- To find vegan options in your city: https://www.happycow.net/
- "Is it vegan?" app
- http://vegankit.com/why/
- What is speciesism? https://www.veganism.com/what-is-speciesism/

"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." - MLK Jr.

Who is a Hindu?

I received this nice read today! How can you define Hindus. Well it's such as an all inclusive religion, that one definition does not fit all. Check out below to find out how to find out yourself?

1) Believe in God ! - Aastik - Accepted
2) Don't believe in God ! - You're accepted as Nastik
3) You want to worship idols - please go ahead. You are a murti pujak.
4) You dont want to worship idols - no problem. You can focus on Nirguna Brahman.
5) You want to criticise something in our religion. Come forward. We are logical. Nyaya, Tarka etc. are core Hindu schools.
6) You want to accept beliefs as it is. Most welcome. Please go ahead with it.
7) You want to start your journey by reading Bhagvad Gita - Sure !
8) You want to start your journey by reading Upanishads - Go ahead.
9) You want to start your journey by reading Purana - Be my guest.
10) You just don't like reading Puranas or other books. No problem my dear. Go by Bhakti tradition. (bhakti - devotion)
11) You don't like idea of Bhakti! No problem. Do your Karma. Be a Karmayogi..
12) You want to enjoy life. Very good. No problem at all. Charvaka Philosophy
13) You want to abstain from all the enjoyment of life & find God - jai ho ! Be a Sadhu, an ascetic !
14) You don't like the concept of God. You believe in Nature only - Welcome. (Trees are our friends and Prakriti or nature is worthy of worship)
15) You believe in one God or Supreme Energy. Superb! Follow Advaita philosophy
16) You want a Guru. Go ahead. Receive gyaan.
17) You don't want a Guru.. Help yourself ! Meditate, Study !
18) You believe in Female energy ! Shakti is worshipped.
19) You believe that every human being is equal. Yeah! You're awesome, come on let's celebrate Hinduism!
"Vasudhaiva kutumbakam" (the world is a family)
20) You don't have time to celebrate the festival.
Don't worry. One more festival is coming! There are multiple festivals every single day of the year.
21) You are a working person. Don't have time for religion. Its okay. You will still be a Hindu.
22) You like to go to temples. Devotion is loved.
23) You don't like to go to temples - no problem. You are still a Hindu!
24) You know that Hinduism is a way of life, with considerable freedom.
25) You believe that everything has God in it. So you worship your mother, father, guru, tree, river, prani-matra, Earth, Universe!
26) And If you don't believe that everything has GOD in it - No problem. Respect your viewpoint.
27) "Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu " (May you all live happily)
You represent this! You're free to choose!

This is exactly the essence of Hinduism, all inclusive. That is why it has withstood the test of time in spite of repeated onslaught both from within and outside and assimilated every good aspects from everything.That is why it is eternal !!!

There is a saying in Rigveda, the first book ever known to mankind which depicts the Hindu philosophy in a nutshell -

"Ano bhadrah Krathavo Yanthu Vishwathaha" - meaning:

'Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions'. ~ Francois Gautier

The pleasures of being a frustrated mom

Dear Reader,

Every word that I have written below is true and is from my heart. Some things that I have spoken about below, are things which I was always uncomfortable saying or discussing earlier; but I guess time is the biggest healer. I am able to speak out my mind now with much lesser hesitation today. Also though my baby has both an official as well as a nick name, and very nice ones too - Atharv and Riju - yet through out my story I have not used any of these names. The reason is that I feel what I have written below is not my story alone, but the voice of many moms who feel the same way. By adding my own baby's name to it, I do not want Atharv to be guilty of what he did unknowingly as a baby, when he grows up and reads this whole thing one day. What he does today, is what ALL babies on this earth do. But the difference lies in the fact, that though I know some of my friends feel what what I am going through today, I am not sure if ALL the mothers feel the same way?

------------------------------------------------

I had always wanted to have a child of my own, even if I did not always want to always marry. :) Well I was most certain about the second part, if not the first; until I met my own prince charming - Abhinav. We got married in 2004 and since 2007 have been struggling to have a kid of our own. After my ectopic in 2007, I was shattered when the infertility center tests declared that the only fallopian tube I was left with, was blocked and that it was impossible for me to conceive by natural means. But perhaps the infertility results were incorrect only this one time (or as they have always been, just one more time in the case of my near and dear ones) Or perhaps God must have tipped the astrologers; who much before our marriage had predicted to my in-laws that my second pregnancy would be a success. What ever be it, within a month or two of those tests, we came to know that we were soon to become parents.

On Nov 22nd 2008, after waiting exactly 41 weeks and 2 days, my doctor makes an incision at the same place from where my right fallopian tube was removed an year ago. Within the next 20 minutes - out comes our bundle of joy. I am on a high dosage of epidural and Abhinav is all spell bound and speechless at the same time. Spellbound at the happiness to hold the little one in his very own hands; and speechless since those two days of labor were the toughest part of the whole process for both of us.

I continued to remain under the influence of percocet and other strong medications for several days to come after that. My thinking ability had diminished considerably and I was deep into the illusion of having the most loving, caring and understating husband one could ever dream of; who each day proactively and most willingly prepared fresh meals for me, did the dishes, did the laundry, bought the grocery and even helped me take care of the baby with sweet gestures such as offering to burp him after those 2 hour long feeds. (Needless to mention, my illusion still continues till date)

Here was a dream-come-true husband and the cutest little baby on earth in my own arms... someone who I always wanted to hold, but there was still something which was missing and making me feel miserable. So where was this problem? Well the problem was with the breast feeding. Every time I spoke to a mother or read out a book or something on the internet, I was reassured that even thought pregnancy, labor and delivery were so very troublesome and painful, yet all this suffering would go away once you got to hold your baby. “One look at your baby and you forget all that you suffering you have gone through in the last 9 months.” So all this while I was well prepared reminding myself each and every second 'this too shall pass'. My pregnancy left me week and clumsy; that painstaking labor nearly took away my life and breath; but I tried to be patient thinking that there was a sweet end to it all. The real problem is that no one ever told me what was in store ahead of me. The labor pain lasted only two days, but nursing!!! Each time my baby would latch onto me, I would go through hell. Counting the number of lactation consultants and doctors whom I approached for help during the first 6 weeks after delivery, it totaled to almost least 8 different professionals and plenty of other seasoned moms, before I finally got rid of all the different kinds of pain I endured. Almost every mother whom I speak to now, has her own related painfully story of what she endured. I do wonder why God was so biased towards woman – to make her life starting form puberty to old age, so painful and full of misery.

My baby is now two months. As I awake today, my schedule, as any other day, looks like this. I wake up to see my baby sleeping peacefully on my right side and my husband 'peacefully snoring' on to my left. I thank God to have given me another day in this beautiful life and to be able to see the two most important men of my life both safe and happy. After those initial days of breast pain over now, finally my world is nothing short from being perfect. As I get up to head towards the bathroom, within fractions of a minute a quiet murmur turns into a wild roar! No time to even dry my hands! I run back to the bedroom, feed the baby, change his diaper, help him fall back asleep and when he is finally asleep... run again!! This time I run to brush, take a quick shower and greet Good Morning to all the Gods and Goddess sitting at the altar. Then I finally run to the kitchen to gulp down something down my throat into the ever starving stomach. Only as I sit down and bring the first spoon near my mouth does my baby awake and again starts the whole process of feeding, diaper change and helping the baby to go back to sleep; well the last bit only if he alone is in the mood of a nap. For else if not, I need to play with him. And I guess you do know what playing with a toddler looks like. He is too young to understand bricks or balls, yet alone hold them; and too old to find the heart beat music CD any further appealing. So basically playing means having a constant communication and not just playing any recorded sound, but having a constant eye contact accompanied with laughing, tickling, swaying, rocking and engaging the little one in new and creative ways. I am sitting all alone with my little one, wondering how on earth does India top the world at number two in population. Suddenly my baby starts crying again. Looks like he is sleepy and is no mood to play any longer. Okay well, we all know who’s boss in our home. So I help him sleep and then sneak away quietly.

Something else that I was never told about was my new diet. Thanks to the breastfeeding; because of this atrocious diet, that I have developed in the recent months, I am confused on who between me and my baby pooh-poohs more. Well as if all the trouble till now was not enough. As I head towards the bathroom one more time, the tiny being; realizing that him mommy decided to leave him for the next 10 minutes; who was peacefully sleeping (or whom I thought to be sleeping) has suddenly woken from him slumber. Within minutes a small wailing has manifested into another ever louder howl. I run back to my baby. Upon seeing his mother gasping for breath with half the pressure still inside within her... he gives the cutest smile you could ever imagine. And with that smile, the huge mountain of anger within me suddenly disappears into thin air.

But realization soon dawns upon me. Life is so miserable after Abhinav leaves for office and I am all alone with the baby. If at all there’s any relief, it’s in the fact that his dad would be soon back from office, it not more at least in the next 8-9 hours. To top it all, when the reward of every feeding is that 1/5 th of the milk is all over the place; including but not limited to his onesie, pajamas, mommy’s top and pajamas, in addition to either the sofa, bed or swing, depending upon how many hours have elapsed after he felt the need to spit up the nth time. So the only time that I get after either feeding him or feeding myself, goes into wiping up all the mess. Why did I get into all this trouble in the first case? What was wrong with me to have decided to have a baby! After spitting up that milk, the next moment my baby is all settled – and now with a full stomach and all the gas (along with that milk) outside already; he smiles once more; occasionally bursting into 2 seconds of laughter. I feel dreadful for being the worst ever mom to have had those horrible thoughts within me. In my mind I am already pleading guilty and as a dutiful mom quickly grab some more baby wipes to clear up all the mess. Its time to play with my little one again.

Life continues. Days roll into weeks. Weeks roll into months. 2 days from now, my baby will be 3 months. As I reflect on the past 3 months after his arrival, I ponder on my daily routine. On any given day, one or more of the following happens: I am either sleep deprived, or food deprived, or occasional my pain returns back; or its all of the above at the same time! If not feeding my own or my little one's tummy, you can see me hastily paying my medical bills or doing something which has already been left up to the 11th hour and can not be delayed any further. All my life’s dreams have now diminished to a mere desire to be able to sit down for just 15 minutes and collect myself and my own thoughts. I am angry with myself, even though I realize that I should instead be thankful for everything that has been bestowed upon me. I try to be logical and question my own thoughts. I reason with myself, and tell myself that my baby never asked me to give him birth. It was my own decision to bring him into this world. Who am I to blame now? My baby is wide awake and cooing and wailing at the same time. He eventually manages to grab my attention. I look at him and smile back. Once again my creativity creeps from within and we begin to play a new game. I am thinking, God was cunning enough to have made babies cute, or else who could have possibly been able to raise them.

After half an hour of fun time, my baby starts to cry again. Making him sit in all possible positions and with everything else in place and nothing working; looks like he is hungry again. After another painful feeding session, as I wipe the spit up milk one more time, I decide to google, determined to find a solution to the spitting problem this time. I learn that all babies spit; but then the question is how much? The only solution explained is to cut the amount of milk the baby gets in. But as a mother haven’t I always been worried whether mine was getting enough in the first place? And now they tell me cut off even that little intake he gets. More so, in world full of chubby babies around me, it only concerns me that mine’s the skinniest one of them all (yeah … being a first time mother, I am an expert to find things to worry about, even after repeated reassurances by the most qualified pediatrician that my baby is doing just FINE). After much thought, I decide to watch the clock at his next feed; after all it might also save me from those tears of pain I shed, each time he latches to me. By evening I worry more than ever of having kept him hungry enough and happily give way to let him eat as much as he likes, till he starts playing 'latch-on and latch off and cry-when-unlatched' thinking of it as a very appealing new game.

By the time Abhinav is back from office in the evening, I am all but a grunting mother, complaining about anything and everything that I can think of. How the little one didn’t let me take a 5 min nap or how I couldn't even eat a single meal in peace, or how terrible has been the feeding experience and how I had planned to complete at least two tasks and haven't got to either one; also including some perennial but nonsensical remarks of how bad a husband has he been of late; which of course has nothing to do with the rest of my complains; but without which my grunting would sound - you know - sort of incomplete. Abhinav gives an expression of empathy but uses his selective listening skills to skillfully ignore all what I have just blurted out. He holds the baby and I hide myself away. An hour or two passes by quickly and as I am running errands around the home, I catch my baby gazing in my direction and smiling at me at the same time. My heart melts. I feel nasty at my earlier thoughts. There is a gush of love and I desperately cuddle my little darling into my arms. With that begins the usual bedtime routine and after a solid two hours of tummy time, massage time, bath time, feed and change time; as I finally put him in his crib for sleep time, he starts wailing again. God! could life be any more miserable?

Today it’s bright and sunny in Seattle (yeah sunny and Seattle don’t go together, but it’s been an exception today). It’s the perfect time to sit down, enjoy the sun and express myself. As my busy fingers pour down (read: type out) my months of frustration, I glance over to my little one, and once more all my frustration is gone... Oh what’s this. Looks like he is hungry again. Off I go to take care of my little one, one more time. After all, isn't it my little bundle of joy that means everything to me in this world.

My journey from being non-veg; to vegetarian; to finally being vegan

As a vegan mentor, I was to write a small introduction to someone who needed a mentee. My small introduction took a larger form and I ended up pouring my heart towards the end. Here is goes: 
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I was born into a meat eating family. Back in UK, my tween birthday celebrations usually meant a trip to McDonalds for what then felt like a mouth watering treat of fish and chips. Fast forward 13 years. After returning to India, my mommy went back to vegetarianism and insisting me to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. But just like most teenagers, I was way too intelligent than my own mom to decide what was best for me. In 2001 I met my cousin after several years. He was pursing his PhD in US and was visiting India on a vacation. I was utterly surprised, that he had chosen not to introduce meat, fish or eggs into his diet. Even being so far away from home, even when his vegetarian parents would have never known a thing about his newly adopted meet eating habits (if he choose not to share with them), even when he had all the chance to 'enjoy' his life, but choose not to. Piyush Bhaiya's revelation to problems such as world hunger, global warming and several other thoughts; all linked to increasing worldwide meat consumption; backed by deep reasoning and logic, and his stand behind a conscious decision of continuing a vegetarian diet, blew me away. I quit meat then and there. 

Fast forward several more years later, a mom myself and a software engineer at Nordstrom; through a common friend, I came in touch a vegan ambassador on Facebook. The word and the concept was brand new for me. So for almost an year I would glance at his and other 2000 members' posts in a vegan group; created to connect Vegans; and rather choose to ignore their claims. As was evident from several posts, several of them were unrelated to each other and had by chance, accidentally or otherwise come across this vegan group. At the same time, quite unusually back then, no one person was endorsing their products. In my eyes, these people had emerged out as 'successful vegan leaders'. Leaders because, they had started the journey 20, 30 sometimes 50 years ago; all alone; with occasionally a few being blessed with a supportive spouse. These people had had first hand experience of animal torture, suffering and pre mature animal killings and unlike the majority of us, these people choose to put an end to that gruesome suffering. Some of them shared their tough journey. Their families were ruthless against them, these vegans were made fun of at family gatherings, they faced shame and sometimes isolation too; all because they cared for another living being. Another living being, who was not somewhere buried deep down in the food pyramid, who was not a profit making commodity, who had a life and a family of it's own and who had a desire to continue to live - just like humans.  

I ignored those posts for a very long time, until in 2011, I finally made a choice to go vegan. Then the question arose - what about my kids? I have grown up with this absurd yet ingrained conation that a human can not stay healthy without cow's milk. My kids were my first priority, as I was responsible for bringing them to this earth. I felt the urge to fulfill their nutritional needs even if that meant at the cost of a calf's life. I felt torn apart between my new ideal world and the world I grew up in. Gradually through some contacts with strong vegan activists such as Richa Hingle, and more, I was put in touch with some very fine second generation vegans and other local vegan families with kids older than mine. With this knowledge - that with sufficient intake of greens, fruits and nuts my kids could not only stay heathy but also thrive; I was now all set on this vegan journey never once to look back, repent or regret. 

When you send out positive energies of love and compassion out there in the world to those 50+ male calves, who are being killed every second world wide; and to their grieving cow moms, they reciprocate in the most unseen, unimaginable lovable ways. 

Today with no dieting, shamefully no exercise, and 40 lbs lesser. With knees that don't need a surgery for growing pain; with a deo-less, if not exactly fragrant, but certainly bearable natural body scent; and with a better glowing skin that before; I am so proud that despite all the resistance from my closest loved ones in my life; I choose this path. I have a 7 year old boy. With close to 20 ear infections before his age 2, my home had converted into a mini dispensary (mini-pharmacy). After going door to door visiting several doctors from western medicines to alternate therapy, and hearing the same advise over and again, we finally had him off of dairy milk for several months; only to have his ear infections come back, when we restarted it. This was long ago I had heard the word vegan. With the cow's milk gone, so are gone all those painful ear infections. He wears thick frames though. My beautiful daughter, now 4.5 years is vegan since birth. She is strong brat. Sadly since she has alopecia, there is no month where I don't get to hear that her auto immune condition (alopecia) or my son's thick glasses are due to my bad food choices of not giving them the much needed cow's milk. I equate this stupid logic, to the same torture that women face in India from their mother in laws, for delivering a girl instead of boy - clearly knowing that the dad's chromosomes are responsible for the baby's gender.  

There are people who have thrown all kinds of logic out there. Calcium logic, protein logic, random nutrition logic, plant feel pain logic, animal hierarchy logic, Krishna loved butter logic, 'but you are driving and also creating pollution' logic,  'why make decisions for your kids logic'. I have tried to address several of those in my previous blogs. People who could see a connection, have approached me, tried to change their lifestyle and taken an approach where animals are left alone as much as possible. Ironically others are still busy giving and asking for me for more logic! 

The ground reality will always remain the same. I cant disassociate myself from the pain of a cow. She is a mom and so am I. I don't see a difference. But I do see several similarities between myself and those two Indian females, also very near and dear to me, who faced a lot of opposition for choosing a boy out of their caste. In the end their love won over all odds. These two strong women, came out victorious. In spite of their family's extreme opposition they got to choose and marry the love of their life.  

In Geeta, Krishna says, "Focus on your doing, rather than bothering about their results as you would expect them to be; as the outcome is not in your hands". I try and try harder to follow it in principle, yet at the same time I anxiously wait for the day when my love for veganism - my life's third love (after my partner and kids) comes out victorious. I pray to Shivji to give me strength that after fighting all odds; like those two strong women, I too get an acceptance from that small bunch of people closet to my heart. 

#GoVegan
For the humans
For the planet 
For the animals 

Answers to several questions by a non-vegan

Comment by a non-vegan: "For centuries in India we have used ghee and butter, no sweet can be made without it. When we were growing up cows and their babies were part of the family we used to play and have conversation and compassion for them. Hope in India it is still authentic."

My response: I have seen pictures of dairy farms in our Holy city of Benaras. The new born male calf is tied far away from its mom, so that it can not drink mom's milk. A few days later the calf is seen half dead and fainted from hunger and heat.

Once near to death, these Hindu dairy farmers sell them to people whose religion does not prohibit chopping cows and their calves. In turn the Hindu dairy owners accept the money that they get by selling these calves.

Male calves are killed because they cant produce baby calves nor can they give milk. They are not needed to plough fields, as tractors can do the same job in less time at a cheeper price. These babies are an unwanted by product of the dairy industry.

There are other pictures again from the holy city. Where the dairy farmer is shown having 500-1000 cows and just 1-2 bulls locked behind closed bars - jail style. In his interview he explains, that he takes good care of his bulls.

Sorry to mention this, but just imagine something like this happening with humans! The scene or situation is beyond imagination.

I keep mentioning Banaras, since who could imagine anything bad being done in that city. Lets talk about Bengal. Mahatma Gandhi ji has clearly written in autobiography - why did he leave cows milk. More than a 100 years ago from now, he witnessed, dairy farmers lifting the cow's tail and blowing hard. This caused immense pain to the cow, yet it also produced more milk. Not sure what unimaginable things are being done today.

Oh and once the cows are unable to give any milk and produce babies, they are transported to slaughter houses under inhumane conditions. To give an example, fit 12 people in a Maruti 800 with no AC! By the time they reach the slaughter houses, they are dehydrated, bleeding, have not been able to sit for more than 12 hours at a stretch (since they is no space to move) and are sick already.

You would have heard newer and never techniques used by Mayavati in UP in the newly opened slaughter houses. Cows and Buffaloes are tricked into thinking they see another cow or buffalo ahead of them and keep walking. Once inside the trap / cage, the door is locked from behind and as they extend their neck to come closer to the cow in front of them, its too late for them to realize that its just a mirror. The knife has already cut their necks by now.

The crazy demand for paneer in samosas and dosas and no have to guest leave the home with out a paneer butter masala. Today's generation having endless pizzas. This crazy demand is driving increased milk production. Each kilo of paneer, cheese, butter needs 10-20 kilos of milk.

Since the cows and buffalos are producing milk at unseen rates, there is an excess of useless bodies. What better to the dairy farmer, if even these dead bodies can fetch them some money. India is the largest beef exporter in the world and its production in tones is increasing each year!

How can I - just one person, put an end to this. by stop having dairy. But telling all my friends to cook me potatoes instead of paneer, almond milk instead of dairy milk, kadhi made from cashew milk. (there are articles on the net comparing the cost of kaDhi made from cows milk v/s cashew milk) and that the cashew milk Kadhi comes out to be cheeper!