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Beyond Meat: A New Fake Meat Designed to Save the World

I thought this article went hand in hand with the last post about USDA and environmentalism.

Beyond Meat is a brand new meat substitute projected to be available to consumers nation wide in the next year or 2. This brand of meat is unlike any other before. It’s said to be so realistic that even a die hard meat eater wouldn’t know the difference. It comes in chicken and steak and the steak is even being designed to have the proper “bleed” to it (using beet juice of course).

Unlike most faux-meat companies, Beyond Meat plans to sell their product alongside chicken breasts and filets in the supermarket. Their goal is not only to entice vegans and vegetarians, but to cut down on meat consumption all together. They’re taking on the meat industry itself.

Like mentioned before in my last article, meat and dairy production is extremely harmful to the environment. The goal of the researchers from Beyond Meat is to cut down on non-sustainable environmental effects from the meat industry. They are targeting regular omnivorous people to try to cut down meat consumption as a nation. If they were successful, this would benefit our national health, the environment, and of course, animals confined in slaughter houses.

I’m interested to see how well this product is received.

Tags: beyond meat fake meat soy subsititute meat substitutes meat subsititute soy meat faux meat protein environment environmentalism environmentalists science food science new interesting ersatz
July 31, 2012
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The Power of the Meat Industry

USDA “Meatless Mondays” Uproar

Read this article, see who wrote it, and analyze for yourself.

It’s no secret that the Dairy/Beef Boards have a super strong control of most “official information” that comes out about nutrition. The scary thing is that while people know the standard line, “big corporations control everything” they still also believe the propaganda about food that the Beef and Dairy industry controls. (Campaigns like, “Got Milk?” and “Beef, it’s whats for dinner”)

The article above is about a USDA Greening Update newsletter that promoted Meatless Mondays. The newsletter stated the following:
“The production of meat, especially beef (and dairy as well), has a large environmental impact. According to the U.N., animal agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gases and climate change. It also wastes resources. It takes 7,000 kg of grain to make 1,000 kg of beef. In addition, beef production requires a lot of water, fertilizer, fossil fuels, and pesticides. In addition there are many health concerns related to the excessive consumption of meat.”

These are facts are from the UN. The article, written by a representative of Agribusiness, called these statistics “Rumors” and stated, “This is animal activism in a government agency that should be supporting all of agriculture and it is unacceptable.” Implying that the USDA should support all “agricultural industries” regardless of it’s impact on our environment and/or health.

They also call these environmental statistics an act of “animal activism”

At least recognize it’s environmentalism…

Think before you eat.

Tags: meatless mondays meatless monday uproar usda dairy industry meat industry propoganda environment environmentalism environmentalists global warming green house gases beef milk dairy control
July 27, 2012
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How to Avoid Answering the Question, “So why are you vegan?” This is probably one of the hardest questions to answer regarding the vegan diet.Although it seems like you should have a simple and well rehearsed answer, the reason for going vegan can be very broad, a little complicated, and definitely a touchy subject. Along with that, there’s often added social pressure that makes answering this question uncomfortable. It’s almost as if someone asked you, “so why are you so weird?” Sometimes it feels like it’s a set up for a lecture or maybe just a chance for someone to quietly judge you. People don’t realize it, but asking someone why they’re vegan can be as uncomfortable as asking someone why they’re a certain religion. It’s not that vegans are necessarily uncomfortable with the subject, but the same way no one wants to talk about why they believe in Jesus at work or at a party, no one wants to talk about fatal diseases or animal slaughter either. And since basically no one thinks that cancer or factory farms are good, answering the question “why are you vegan?” implies that the other person is doing the wrong thing. Which is even more uncomfortable. So here are some tips to get out of answering that dreaded question: Why are you vegan? It makes me happy.-People generally will accept happiness in whatever form. Even if it wouldn’t make them happy, they can’t help what makes you happy. It’s for my health.-Probably the most universally accepted reason you can give a non-vegan. This answer is a watered down version of a long uncomfortable explanation of preventative health. Health is another one of those things that people can accept because like happiness, everyone wants to be healthy. (at least to some extent) It’s good for the environment.-Everyone has to live on earth, so we have no choice but to accept the environment as a reason for being vegan. It’s another universal subject everyone can agree on. Any time you give a reason people can relate to, it’s easier to get off the subject. Although be careful, you could accidentally fall in to the category of, “Crazy GreenPeace Sidewalk Assailant” All 3.-If someone keeps prying, just answer all 3 in a row, the short non-detailed answers will eventually quiet them down. I dunno, it’s a long story.-If all else fails, this usually works. Most people don’t really care about your answer. Especially because a lot of times they’re not asking because they’re actually interested in the vegan diet. If you tell them it’s a long story, they probably don’t want to hear it. Now if someone is genuinely interested and is thinking of going vegan, by all means talk to them about it. Remember back to when you first went vegan and how nice it would have been to have some advice from a veteran. Then send them a link to www.cheapvegan.net ;)

How to Avoid Answering the Question, “So why are you vegan?”

This is probably one of the hardest questions to answer regarding the vegan diet.

Although it seems like you should have a simple and well rehearsed answer, the reason for going vegan can be very broad, a little complicated, and definitely a touchy subject.

Along with that, there’s often added social pressure that makes answering this question uncomfortable. It’s almost as if someone asked you, “so why are you so weird?” Sometimes it feels like it’s a set up for a lecture or maybe just a chance for someone to quietly judge you.

People don’t realize it, but asking someone why they’re vegan can be as uncomfortable as asking someone why they’re a certain religion. It’s not that vegans are necessarily uncomfortable with the subject, but the same way no one wants to talk about why they believe in Jesus at work or at a party, no one wants to talk about fatal diseases or animal slaughter either. And since basically no one thinks that cancer or factory farms are good, answering the question “why are you vegan?” implies that the other person is doing the wrong thing. Which is even more uncomfortable.

So here are some tips to get out of answering that dreaded question:

Why are you vegan?

  • It makes me happy.
    -People generally will accept happiness in whatever form. Even if it wouldn’t make them happy, they can’t help what makes you happy.
  • It’s for my health.
    -Probably the most universally accepted reason you can give a non-vegan. This answer is a watered down version of a long uncomfortable explanation of preventative health. Health is another one of those things that people can accept because like happiness, everyone wants to be healthy. (at least to some extent)
  • It’s good for the environment.
    -Everyone has to live on earth, so we have no choice but to accept the environment as a reason for being vegan. It’s another universal subject everyone can agree on. Any time you give a reason people can relate to, it’s easier to get off the subject. Although be careful, you could accidentally fall in to the category of, “Crazy GreenPeace Sidewalk Assailant”
  • All 3.
    -If someone keeps prying, just answer all 3 in a row, the short non-detailed answers will eventually quiet them down.
  • I dunno, it’s a long story.
    -If all else fails, this usually works. Most people don’t really care about your answer. Especially because a lot of times they’re not asking because they’re actually interested in the vegan diet. If you tell them it’s a long story, they probably don’t want to hear it.

Now if someone is genuinely interested and is thinking of going vegan, by all means talk to them about it. Remember back to when you first went vegan and how nice it would have been to have some advice from a veteran.

Then send them a link to www.cheapvegan.net ;)

Tags: why are you vegan why go vegan why im vegan why vegan cheap vegan vegan vegetarian go vegan food health animals environment
June 29, 2012
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