World Vegan Month

November is World Vegan Month. What are you doing to get healthier, save the planet and eliminate suffering?

Three times a year the Carmarthen Vegans host a "Meet and Greet" where we provide free food and entertainment and invite the public in to find out about being vegan. This one is special because it is World Vegan Month. Also this officially makes it an annual tradition as we started this last November.

The weather here has been rain with a side of rain and double helping of rain for pudding if you know what I mean. Despite the fact that it was pissing down all day we had 51 people come--about 30 of them were vegan curious so that was great.

Here is the new decorations I made. We decided last time in the summer Meet and Greet to make some permanent decorations that can be pulled out every time--ones that look fabulous without being disposable so I whipped these up with my trusty sewing machine.

Here is the table heavily laden with food. Sandwiches and savouries on this side:

And puddings on this end:

Can you see my delicious brownies?

Here is Spiderman doing the most important job--making the tea! British people cannot go more than a half an hour without a cup of tea or they will die. FACT.

Here we are--the core members of the Carmarthen Vegans (with a few Pembrokeshire Vegans thrown in there) posing in front of the table.

Lastly, the part you have all been waiting for--the entertainment. Last time several of us dressed as cows (and a panda) and sang a song about being vegan. This was so popular that we decided to try another song. This time only two cows, but better choreography, more acting and more fun! We had such a blast putting this together and it gets a good message across. Please enjoy Vegan Challenges Answered in Song and Dance! 

We are so glad to be a part of this group of extremely fun, slightly mad vegans. Our lives have been so rich since we moved to Cymru. There is never a dull moment with this crew.

Be vegan, make peace!

The newest way to kill yourself (and the animals and the planet)

The World Health Association (WHO) announced last week that red meat and processed meat (things like bacon, sausage and hotdogs) are a carcinogen in the same category as alcohol, smoking, asbestos and plutonium. 

A carcinogen. That means causes cancer. That's scary stuff.

Bowel cancer is on the rise and people who eat 50g of meat a day (less than 2 strips of bacon) have an 18% higher risk of developing bowel cancer.

The WHO rank meat in their top category which should say something. But will it? I have heard more and more people say things like, "Well you have to die of something." I seriously don't understand this way of thinking.

Welsh for No Smoking

Smoking in all enclosed public places  has been illegal in the UK since around 2007. This is great for asthmatics like me who don't want to be breathing all your dirty smoke, thank you very much. Another law has been passed recently that it is illegal to smoke in a car if children are present because we know the dangers of second hand smoke. But is it illegal to give your child a bacon sandwich or sausage roll?

Maybe it should be.

Meat just is bad for everyone concerned. it is bad for your health--full of fat, cholesterol and hormones. Don't get me started on people who would rather take a dozen pills for illnesses like high cholesterol rather than change their diet. A diet free from animal products can reverse many major diseases including diabetes. FACT. Why would anyone knowingly put something that causes cancer into their body?

It is the same for dairy. There is a strong link between dairy consumption and breast cancer. Why would any woman continue to consume it, particularly if she has a family history of breast cancer? I will tell you why. We have been brainwashed all of our lives by the Dairy Industry to believe that we *need* dairy to get calcium--when in fact dairy does the opposite if we have a diet high in salt. It actually leaches calcium from your bones.

Sad but true.

And where do we get most of the salt in our diets? From processed meats.

it has been established that meat is bad for your health. It is also colossally bad for the environment. Animal agriculture contributes more to green house gases than the aviation industry or all the cars on the road. So for all those people who religiously plant trees to offset their carbon footprint from travel--you'd be better off giving up meat.

We bring over 2 billion animals into this world EACH YEAR with the sole purpose of taking their lives--often when still a baby. Clearly if the demand for meat went down because people were concerned about their health or the environment then of course the animals would be thankful.

click to see it bigger

I am a vegan for these reasons--for the animals, for my planet and for myself. Now with overwelming evidence from the WHO I hope others will make the connection too.

Think of yourself, Think of our mother the Earth. Think of compassion.

Make the connection.