WHY VEGAN?

Over the past few months I've written about vegan recipes, make up and outfits, which is all fun and games but I realised I haven't actually talked about the many reasons for being a vegan. While they may sound obvious to those of you who already are, I'd like to let the readers who aren't vegan know why someone would choose this kind of lifestyle. 

The no.1 reason for me is that animals should not be used as commodities to fulfil our selfish, unnecessary desires (notice that I said desires and not needs). This is because meat is not an essential nutrient, humans can still live, breathe and actually attain better health without meat. The documentary Forks over Knives shows us the vegan diet is healthier, 'Their research led them to a startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented—and in many cases reversed—by adopting a whole-foods, plant-based diet."

Meat eaters often respond to vegans with 'clever' quips such as 'eating animals is all part of the food chain, animals kill each other so why shouldn't we eat them'. What they don't realise is that we should know better because we don't need to eat animals and we should be taking care of those more vulnerable than us, not abusing them. Another popular one is 'I would go veggie but I need my protein for the gym', again this is an unjustified observation. As a vegetarian or vegan you can make up the same amount of protein in meat by eating a combination of healthy veggies, grains and nuts (see here). For example Tempeh packs a protein punch of 19g per 100g while just two cups of kidney beans contain about 26g of protein (almost the same as a Big Mac, which has 25 grams!). 

Do you see through these programmed responses, how we have been manipulated by the media (through our ego self) to think that we need to eat meat to survive? They do this because it sustains the current infrastructure of making money out of your disease (dis-ease). They don't care about your health but you should! I see veganism as a choice to take back your rights to health, well-being and spirituality.

I believe we're here to get along with everyone and everything harmoniously, being the best we can be in this life by making conscious decisions about what's right and wrong, a moral value that often seems lost in the age of Miley Cyrus and Rihanna as role models. People seem to be living only for the now and ignoring the later consequences, while veganism is about choosing a more responsible and sustainable approach to life, not only for your own health but for the planet as well.

The trouble is people think they are so small in this vast universe that they can't make a difference to the world but they don't realise they are part of the universe and should be working in conjunction with it not against it! They say 'if the meat is already sitting nicely pre-packaged on the supermarket shelf why shouldn't I buy it?' To them I would say one person making a conscious decision to become a vegetarian saves 100 animals a year (source). One person changing their lifestyle inspires others to do the same and before you know it you've influenced a whole group, it's a knock on effect. I have already noticed people close to me eating less meat, whether its subconsciously or not, your actions do affect other people!

Vegan food is damn tasty too! I've had meat eaters try my meatless meals and dairy free desserts and not be able to tell the difference. There are vegan/vegetarian substitutes for almost every animal product you can think of and I believe the food tastes better because no pain or suffering went into the making of it. The one thing I would say that's potentially bad about a vegan diet is the high intake of soya, however look at the Asian populations who eat soya very regularly yet live longer, healthier lives than all of us! So the jury's still out on whether it's actually bad for you or not. For now I try to buy these products in moderation and eat as close to nature as possible i.e. more organic fruits and veggies with less processed, pre-packaged foods. If you are going to eat soya always try to go for the organic option. 

I've also recently noticed a lot of vegan foods have 'natural flavourings' listed as an ingredient. This is an umbrella term and is allowed to be derived from anything, including Castoreum (secretion from a beaver's anal glands - yup), GM and Aspartame (source), so I'm thinking this ingredient is also best avoided until there's more research/guidelines for this.

While I have much more to say on this topic I've gone on long enough for now! I hope I've given a fair point of view on veganism to allow you to make your own mind up, I could talk about this subject all day so if anyone has any questions regarding this post or would like some advice on turning vegan - get in touch! 

FAUX FIX: DESIGNER PICKS

L:R: Falabella Bag // Faux Fur Coat // Vinyl Pencil Skirt // Cotton Shirt // Leopard Slippers // Lip Print Sweater

When I tell some people that I'm a vegan I think they are a bit taken aback, as though it's not a normal thing to be. So I want to show the world that us vegans are 'normal' too and can enjoy everything that meat eaters do! In fact I'm more convinced than ever that the vegan diet should be what's considered normal, having recently watched the documentary Forks over Knives, which examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

While my ideals of what's ethical may have changed, my love for fashion has always remained, I've just made a few adjustments to my wardrobe (as well as my diet) along the way (see post). I've been interested in fashion since my early childhood, I would spend hours playing with my fashion wheel game (we didn't have iPads back then) and even went on to pursue my dream of becoming a fashion designer at College and University. 

Most of the time designers like to use real leather, fur and silk, after all that's where your money is going (or so they would like you to believe) so when you pay a designer price tag you would expect it to be the 'real' deal. Therefore it's often harder to pick out higher end items that are vegan friendly. Stella McCartney is probably the most well known for being an ethical designer, as a lifelong vegetarian her collections contain no leather or fur. However some garments are made from silk and wool so not all items are vegan, but for vegan shoes and bags Stella McCartney would be my first designer of choice - if only I could afford it! 

I've taken the liberty of painstakingly (yeah right) searching through Net-A-Porter to find the most on trend (vegan) designer picks of the moment. It's just annoying that there's no 'one' designer company that does all vegan items with a sustainable ethos to match. At the minute the best we can do is pick and choose our peices but hopefully with more people buying these items and shunning the skins we are persuading them to make more and forgo the unnecessary cruelty...

The pic above is what I like to call the 'tough yet cuddly' look, that you could wear during the day, to work or even dress up in the evening with a different top and some heels. You can also get the Falabella bag in a fold up version that works as a clutch too, so that would be a worthy investment if ever I saw one ;). Personally I'd would wear all of these items together as I love the contrasting prints and textures of the faux fur and the shiny vinyl. The sweater over a pencil skirt look was seen at Jonathan Saunders and seems so perfect this winter. On colder days I'd wear the shirt underneath the jumper so the crisp white collar is poking out (my favourite look at the minute). Overall a versatile and layered Winter look that's cruelty free! Now who wants to sponsor me to wear it?... anyone??

Can you recommend any other ethical/vegan designers?