Comments for The Joyful Vegan: Stories of Transformation http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com Sharing stories and inspiration about the pains and joys of choosing vegan in a non-vegan world. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:10:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU Comment on Raised on Small Farm, Exposed to Pig Slaughter, Becomes Vegetarian by deb http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2007/05/17/raised-on-small-farm-exposed-to-pig-slaughter-becomes-vegetarian/#comment-6407 deb Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:15:20 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2007/05/17/raised-on-small-farm-exposed-to-pig-slaughter-becomes-vegetarian/#comment-6407 I would LOVE to become a vegan. Unfortunately, I have a case of IBS which makes it extremely uncomfortable and sometimes painful to eat most beans, and certain other vegetables (cabbage, broccoli which I always ate every day!) I have tried using Beano--no help. Plus I do not want to be on meds for this. I do love soy and can eat/drink that in very small quantities. Now I am no nutritionist but I feel their is really no other source of protein for me to eat except for animal protein which I eat in maybe twice a week because I feel so horrible about it! Do you have any other suggestions? I would LOVE to become a vegan. Unfortunately, I have a case of IBS which makes it extremely uncomfortable and sometimes painful to eat most beans, and certain other vegetables (cabbage, broccoli which I always ate every day!) I have tried using Beano–no help. Plus I do not want to be on meds for this. I do love soy and can eat/drink that in very small quantities. Now I am no nutritionist but I feel their is really no other source of protein for me to eat except for animal protein which I eat in maybe twice a week because I feel so horrible about it! Do you have any other suggestions?

]]> Comment on What is “The Joyful Vegan”? by claport http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com#comment-6403 claport Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:37:47 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/home/#comment-6403 Very interesting information! Thanks! Very interesting information! Thanks!

]]> Comment on Christian Vegan – Not an Oxymoron! by Dawn http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/christian-vegan-%e2%80%93-not-an-oxymoron/#comment-6399 Dawn Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:55:16 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-6399 Ohmyword. Thank you so very much for your post! I'm a Christian and a lacto-ovo vegetarian trying to be a vegan. I fully believe that we are not supposed to be eating animals! I have taken Gen 1:29 and put it up on my blogs/myspace/facebook for a vegetarian scripture backing up my meat-free lifestyle. I have been feeling a tugging on my heart strings to just leave behind the lacto (I drink only soy milk, eat only cheese and ice cream) and the ovo (I have stopped buying eggs altogether but have not quit eating morningstar vegetarian products), however, I have had the feeling that I should just leave it all behind and become vegan. When I first started my vegetarian lifestyle, I started off vegan-on accident-but felt WONDERFUL, not missing meat at all. I love my tofu and I love learning how to eat new veggies. I feel that Earthlings was right on target and very correct in everything it said. I wasn't able to make it all the way through the entire movie, however, I had seen lots of others like it. I already knew about all the animal cruelty. I had to stop watching after they put the living dog into the trash compactor. I *had* to turn it off and deal with my own emotions and hate for the people who did that to that poor helpless dog. I pray on a daily basis for compassion for those who don't show compassion. I pray that I don't become hateful, and then I realized I just cannot watch anymore videos of that of that nature. In reading your post, I have decided to become a Vegan. I will not clean out my fridge, I will eat everything that I have already, esp since I cannot afford to just go out and replace everything in my fridge. Next grocery trip, I'll only buy vegan stuff, and I know what a commitment this is, since I know that I will have to be cooking everything I will be eating. Once again, thank you for your post! It was just what I needed in order to become a vegan! Ohmyword. Thank you so very much for your post! I’m a Christian and a lacto-ovo vegetarian trying to be a vegan. I fully believe that we are not supposed to be eating animals! I have taken Gen 1:29 and put it up on my blogs/myspace/facebook for a vegetarian scripture backing up my meat-free lifestyle. I have been feeling a tugging on my heart strings to just leave behind the lacto (I drink only soy milk, eat only cheese and ice cream) and the ovo (I have stopped buying eggs altogether but have not quit eating morningstar vegetarian products), however, I have had the feeling that I should just leave it all behind and become vegan. When I first started my vegetarian lifestyle, I started off vegan-on accident-but felt WONDERFUL, not missing meat at all. I love my tofu and I love learning how to eat new veggies.

I feel that Earthlings was right on target and very correct in everything it said. I wasn’t able to make it all the way through the entire movie, however, I had seen lots of others like it. I already knew about all the animal cruelty. I had to stop watching after they put the living dog into the trash compactor. I *had* to turn it off and deal with my own emotions and hate for the people who did that to that poor helpless dog. I pray on a daily basis for compassion for those who don’t show compassion. I pray that I don’t become hateful, and then I realized I just cannot watch anymore videos of that of that nature.

In reading your post, I have decided to become a Vegan. I will not clean out my fridge, I will eat everything that I have already, esp since I cannot afford to just go out and replace everything in my fridge. Next grocery trip, I’ll only buy vegan stuff, and I know what a commitment this is, since I know that I will have to be cooking everything I will be eating.

Once again, thank you for your post! It was just what I needed in order to become a vegan!

]]> Comment on Christian Vegan – Not an Oxymoron! by karen_finland http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/christian-vegan-%e2%80%93-not-an-oxymoron/#comment-6379 karen_finland Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:26:11 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-6379 Thanks for this post. It is a constant battle for me. I am 35, very seriously considering to get baptism from our local Lutheran parish BUT all the Christians I have met until now (that's a 35 year time...) are so human-centered in their way of thinking that I am drawn back to Eastern religions. Seriously. Well, more to think... I guess. Thanks for this post. It is a constant battle for me. I am 35, very seriously considering to get baptism from our local Lutheran parish BUT all the Christians I have met until now (that’s a 35 year time… ;) are so human-centered in their way of thinking that I am drawn back to Eastern religions. Seriously. Well, more to think… I guess.

]]> Comment on What is “The Joyful Vegan”? by Susan Eakins http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com#comment-6367 Susan Eakins Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:48:27 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/home/#comment-6367 I did a post (#3) in May, 2007. A little over a year later, I'm adding another post. Warm hello to Colleen! As I write, my farm sanctuary is a reality in western Montana, near Missoula. It is called: New Dawn MT Farm Sanctuary, located in the Rocky Mtns. Website to follow in the near future. In our current family of farm animals is: Belle and Anastasia, 2 Yorkshire pig sisters. They were rescued from a factory farm as former breeding mothers. Next: Mort, Mollie and Minnie, 3 sheep. Very loveable! Angie, an Irish Dexter cow. She was court ordered removed from a neglectful owner in the county we live in. And, my dear 5 chickens continue to thrive. Last, a bunny and 2 rescued dogs make up the non-human family members. Me and husband, Lee keep thing afloat. What a wonderful thing to be providing a safe, permanent home for these wonderful beings and a safe haven. All the animals truly have such precious personalities, each in their own way. Ambassadors all! Veganly, Sue I did a post (#3) in May, 2007. A little over a year later, I’m adding another post. Warm hello to Colleen!
As I write, my farm sanctuary is a reality in western Montana, near Missoula. It is called: New Dawn MT Farm Sanctuary, located in the Rocky Mtns. Website to follow in the near future.
In our current family of farm animals is: Belle and Anastasia, 2 Yorkshire pig sisters. They were rescued from a factory farm as former breeding mothers.
Next: Mort, Mollie and Minnie, 3 sheep. Very loveable!
Angie, an Irish Dexter cow. She was court ordered removed from a neglectful owner in the county we live in.
And, my dear 5 chickens continue to thrive. Last, a bunny and 2 rescued dogs make up the non-human family members. Me and husband, Lee keep thing afloat.
What a wonderful thing to be providing a safe, permanent home for these wonderful beings and a safe haven. All the animals truly have such precious personalities, each in their own way. Ambassadors all! Veganly, Sue

]]> Comment on What is “The Joyful Vegan”? by Meghan http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com#comment-6340 Meghan Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:06:02 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/home/#comment-6340 For one thing, it is a different world now than it was 9 years ago when I decided, like an experiement, to 'try' being vegetaring... just to see if... what? If it could be done? 7 years before that, my little sister announced her decision to be vegetarian and it felt like an attack on our family's way of life. Everything she told us caused me such pain I simply denied it. I loved animals, of course. But if eating them really was not right... people wouldn't do it. It wouldn't be legal. And certainly if it were actually unethical to eat chicken, our own beloved mother would have let us in on it. When I was 15, somehow, my mom still knew everything. Her response to my sister was; "it's ok to be vegetarian; and it's ok not to be." I was allergic to milk and dairy products and most of my food consisted of 'very healthy fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meat.' I was very into health yet had never heard of tofu. My sister's veggie sausage links made the microwave stink; I didn't know how she could suffer through them. But when she decided to go vegan a few months later, I could finally relate. Now that she eliminated cheese from her world, I had someone else in the family with whom I could share all things food (though it obviously wasn't mutual , as I still ate those "healthy" decaying animals). We had soymilk in the house, (which I had never tried, despite my dairy allergy; I grew up eating my cereal with apple juice:) Although neither of us liked it strait, we started cooking with it, and trying other non-dairy stuff. Still, the pain of it was so hard for me. when she showed me pictures, I looked right at them and told her they weren't true. That couldn't happen. No way. Peta's extreme. There must be a mistake. At a Lilith Fair concert two years later (I'm 18 at this time) I walk by some animal advocate booth and get that little brochere; the one with the red and black animal cruelty pages that turn to fresh and green yummy ways to eliminate it. I looked through it, and looked up at the people at the booth. Does this really happen? I asked them. Yes, they assured me. This is terrible, I told them. Yep, they know they told me. In my heart, I decided- though still heavy with denial- that I could no longer in any way support factory farms, and it might be ok if I just tried to go vegetarian (which, with my allergy meant mostly vegan) and avoid it all together. I was about to start my freshman year at Ohio State, and actually being away from home made it easier. In all these years, it's always been most comfortable away from home. When I moved back near my family a few years ago, I literally got pulled back off the path. It didn't feel horrible, and for health considerations, I thought I 'had' to do it (60 grams of protein a day from vegetables, avoiding soy products? How?) But no sooner was I back in my home town, than I began connecting with others who were vegetarian- totally non-judgemental- and when I realized - more deeply than before the essential compassion piece- about a year later, I was clearer than ever and never looked back. On Christmas, I gave up non-vegan dark chocolate (yep; sometimes it has milkfat) and chex mix (why must milk infect chex mix? oh well, I make it at home) and went totally vegan. Now, It's so strong in me, and it's been such a long time on the path that no one can even ask me if it's healthy. I make vegan lunch for my office staff once in a while and lay out all the vegan cook books for others to browse. Our last two family holidays (with many extended family) were 90% vegan with a strange cooked animal hidden, almost with shame, out of site. I was a bit late to Easter due to a wedding (my family celebrated Easter on a different day:) and the poor sacrifice had already been removed from the dining room by the time I got there, with no trace left, except un eaten parts on some plates. It seems to me, those around me who aren't vegan are simply vegans still in denial. I know that my judgements are not helpful, but it's so clearly wrong that it's so weird meat eating is even practiced anymore. God is blessing our planet, but each of us must wake up. I pray we do, as a people, as a planet. For one thing, it is a different world now than it was 9 years ago when I decided, like an experiement, to ‘try’ being vegetaring… just to see if… what? If it could be done?
7 years before that, my little sister announced her decision to be vegetarian and it felt like an attack on our family’s way of life. Everything she told us caused me such pain I simply denied it. I loved animals, of course. But if eating them really was not right… people wouldn’t do it. It wouldn’t be legal. And certainly if it were actually unethical to eat chicken, our own beloved mother would have let us in on it. When I was 15, somehow, my mom still knew everything. Her response to my sister was; “it’s ok to be vegetarian; and it’s ok not to be.”
I was allergic to milk and dairy products and most of my food consisted of ‘very healthy fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meat.’ I was very into health yet had never heard of tofu. My sister’s veggie sausage links made the microwave stink; I didn’t know how she could suffer through them. But when she decided to go vegan a few months later, I could finally relate. Now that she eliminated cheese from her world, I had someone else in the family with whom I could share all things food (though it obviously wasn’t mutual , as I still ate those “healthy” decaying animals). We had soymilk in the house, (which I had never tried, despite my dairy allergy; I grew up eating my cereal with apple juice :) Although neither of us liked it strait, we started cooking with it, and trying other non-dairy stuff. Still, the pain of it was so hard for me. when she showed me pictures, I looked right at them and told her they weren’t true. That couldn’t happen. No way. Peta’s extreme. There must be a mistake.
At a Lilith Fair concert two years later (I’m 18 at this time) I walk by some animal advocate booth and get that little brochere; the one with the red and black animal cruelty pages that turn to fresh and green yummy ways to eliminate it. I looked through it, and looked up at the people at the booth. Does this really happen? I asked them. Yes, they assured me. This is terrible, I told them. Yep, they know they told me. In my heart, I decided- though still heavy with denial- that I could no longer in any way support factory farms, and it might be ok if I just tried to go vegetarian (which, with my allergy meant mostly vegan) and avoid it all together.
I was about to start my freshman year at Ohio State, and actually being away from home made it easier. In all these years, it’s always been most comfortable away from home. When I moved back near my family a few years ago, I literally got pulled back off the path. It didn’t feel horrible, and for health considerations, I thought I ‘had’ to do it (60 grams of protein a day from vegetables, avoiding soy products? How?) But no sooner was I back in my home town, than I began connecting with others who were vegetarian- totally non-judgemental- and when I realized - more deeply than before the essential compassion piece- about a year later, I was clearer than ever and never looked back. On Christmas, I gave up non-vegan dark chocolate (yep; sometimes it has milkfat) and chex mix (why must milk infect chex mix? oh well, I make it at home) and went totally vegan. Now, It’s so strong in me, and it’s been such a long time on the path that no one can even ask me if it’s healthy. I make vegan lunch for my office staff once in a while and lay out all the vegan cook books for others to browse. Our last two family holidays (with many extended family) were 90% vegan with a strange cooked animal hidden, almost with shame, out of site. I was a bit late to Easter due to a wedding (my family celebrated Easter on a different day :) and the poor sacrifice had already been removed from the dining room by the time I got there, with no trace left, except un eaten parts on some plates. It seems to me, those around me who aren’t vegan are simply vegans still in denial. I know that my judgements are not helpful, but it’s so clearly wrong that it’s so weird meat eating is even practiced anymore. God is blessing our planet, but each of us must wake up. I pray we do, as a people, as a planet.

]]> Comment on Guilt as a Meat-Eater, Peace as a Vegan by Natasha http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2007/05/22/guilt-as-a-meat-eater-peace-as-a-vegan/#comment-6339 Natasha Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:53:13 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2007/05/22/guilt-as-a-meat-eater-peace-as-a-vegan/#comment-6339 Hey there Like Chantele I also live in Winnipeg, Manitoba which is just an awful place to live when your pro animal rights. I think I will honestly die of shock if I ever meet a vegan face to face here. I meet endless people that think there is something wrong with because I love animals. It's ridiculous and so annoying. Oh yeah I 'm the freak since I actually have a heart. I became a lacto-veggie at age 12 in 1995 because I finally started to think about what I was eating and realized eating my animal friends is cruel. I never really ate much meat though since I didn't really care for the taste which not surprising since it's not natural. I then became vegan at age 19 (I'm 25 now) because I realized that animal by products is more cruel than meat. I wish I became vegan sooner. Hey there

Like Chantele I also live in Winnipeg, Manitoba which is just an awful place to live when your pro animal rights. I think I will honestly die of shock if I ever meet a vegan face to face here. I meet endless people that think there is something wrong with because I love animals. It’s ridiculous and so annoying. Oh yeah I ‘m the freak since I actually have a heart.

I became a lacto-veggie at age 12 in 1995 because I finally started to think about what I was eating and realized eating my animal friends is cruel. I never really ate much meat though since I didn’t really care for the taste which not surprising since it’s not natural. I then became vegan at age 19 (I’m 25 now) because I realized that animal by products is more cruel than meat. I wish I became vegan sooner.

]]> Comment on A Non-Vegetarian Buddhist to Vegan Activist by LiveVegan http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/a-non-vegetarian-buddhist-to-vegan-activist/#comment-6299 LiveVegan Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:49:50 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/?p=52#comment-6299 We are a non-profit Buddhist Animal Rights Vegan organisation. Please watch our video: Prayer for Liberation of Brother & Sister Animals. To watch our video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9lk5pe6HkM Text of video May all sentient beings in the animal realm subject to unbearable pain in labs throughout the world be free from suffering. May alternatives to animal experimentation and testing be used immediately. May Bodhicitta fill the hearts of those who imprison them. May all sentient beings from the animal realm who suffer endless days, months, years locked in tiny cages unable to move, be filled with peace and calm. May the many billions waiting in slaughterhouse lines be free of fear. May the hearts of those who work in abattoirs be filled with Bodhicitta so the very thought of harm is purified. May they never kill again and may the slaughterhouse lines become immediately empty. May no animal be afraid or depressed. May their bodies be free of injuries, disease and illness. May those who need homes, or who have been driven from them find shelter, plentiful food & water. May there be liberation for those tortured for fur, entertainment or who are hunted. May those who believe they are superior to our brother & sister animals develop perfect equanimity. And may they realise in their hearts that all sentient beings possess Buddha nature And they are not ours to kill or exploit. May the many billions of land and sea dwelling sentient beings who are abused, exploited and killed due to greed, hatred and ignorance be free of suffering May they experience complete and perfect enlightenment, through the virtue of my efforts and prayers. May I be a voice for the voiceless. In short, may all human and non-human sentient beings live together in harmony, peace and equanimity and achieve perfect Enlightenment quickly. Composed Feb 14, 2007 by Liberation of Brother & Sister Animals. http://www.lobsa.org We are a non-profit Buddhist Animal Rights Vegan organisation. Please watch our video:

Prayer for Liberation of Brother & Sister Animals.
To watch our video here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9lk5pe6HkM

Text of video

May all sentient beings in the animal realm
subject to unbearable pain in labs throughout the world
be free from suffering.
May alternatives to animal experimentation and testing
be used immediately.
May Bodhicitta fill the hearts of those who imprison them.

May all sentient beings from the animal realm
who suffer endless days, months, years
locked in tiny cages unable to move, be filled with peace and calm.
May the many billions waiting in slaughterhouse lines be free of fear.
May the hearts of those who work in abattoirs
be filled with Bodhicitta so the very thought of harm is purified.
May they never kill again and may the slaughterhouse lines become immediately empty.

May no animal be afraid or depressed.
May their bodies be free of injuries, disease and illness.
May those who need homes, or who have been driven from them
find shelter, plentiful food & water.
May there be liberation for those
tortured for fur, entertainment or who are hunted.

May those who believe they are superior to our brother & sister animals
develop perfect equanimity.
And may they realise in their hearts
that all sentient beings possess Buddha nature
And they are not ours to kill or exploit.

May the many billions of land and sea dwelling sentient beings
who are abused, exploited and killed due to greed, hatred and ignorance
be free of suffering
May they experience complete and perfect enlightenment,
through the virtue of my efforts and prayers.
May I be a voice for the voiceless.
In short, may all human and non-human sentient beings
live together in harmony, peace and equanimity
and achieve perfect Enlightenment quickly.

Composed Feb 14, 2007 by Liberation of Brother & Sister Animals. http://www.lobsa.org

]]> Comment on Christian Vegan – Not an Oxymoron! by Paula http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/christian-vegan-%e2%80%93-not-an-oxymoron/#comment-6297 Paula Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:20:38 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/?p=55#comment-6297 I am a vegan and a christian. I gave up meat over a year ago. I feel good about my health and the environment. I am a vegan and a christian. I gave up meat over a year ago.
I feel good about my health and the environment.

]]> Comment on What is “The Joyful Vegan”? by jbail3y http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com#comment-6244 jbail3y Thu, 22 May 2008 07:44:59 +0000 http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/home/#comment-6244 I went vegan on December 1, 2007. You hit a very important point, for me. When I made the decision to stop consuming animal products, I happened to be in a hotel room on business travel and caught PeTA's Meet Your Meat video on TV. I was shocked and frustrated and a lot of other things. The part I did not realize, is how alone I would feel being vegan. I mean, I grew up in Indiana and it's simply not part of the culture in my friend group. Mostly, people laugh when I tell them. But living in Southern California now, I've been reaching out to other vegans as best I can. Thanks to the internet! I couldn't have said it better... "Sharing our story with each other validates our own experiences and helps us see that we’re not alone - that many others go through the same feelings of pain, disbelief, anger, joy, relief, and frustration." I went vegan on December 1, 2007. You hit a very important point, for me. When I made the decision to stop consuming animal products, I happened to be in a hotel room on business travel and caught PeTA’s Meet Your Meat video on TV. I was shocked and frustrated and a lot of other things. The part I did not realize, is how alone I would feel being vegan. I mean, I grew up in Indiana and it’s simply not part of the culture in my friend group. Mostly, people laugh when I tell them. But living in Southern California now, I’ve been reaching out to other vegans as best I can. Thanks to the internet!

I couldn’t have said it better…

“Sharing our story with each other validates our own experiences and helps us see that we’re not alone - that many others go through the same feelings of pain, disbelief, anger, joy, relief, and frustration.”

]]>