Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Why Vegan?

Vegan. The word itself invokes many images when thinking of the word. Many people associate the word vegan with hippies, nose-ring wearing, Bay Area living, eccentric, yoga-practicing people who are on a limited and strict diet of eating.

Check out this cool viral trend on Twitter, #for what a vegan really looks like! Vegans are healthy, athletic, strong, and there are many bodybuilders and competitors who are very muscular and fit(ie- remove that myth about needing animal protein!) And I will discuss this in another blog.

I kind of thought that, even though I have been vegetarian all my life. Butter, ghee, yogurt, icecream- our whole family ate these on a regular basis. Unfortunately, we didn't see the reality of what dairy was and what it meant for the animal giving the milk. We grew up with a culture that incorporates milk into almost every dessert, ghee is an ayurvedic miracle to many, and dairy was supposed to "make your bones strong." How strong? Strong like a 1300-1600 lb cow?!
This is what COW MILK is supposed to create- a huge bovine animal.

The average weight of an adult cow was 1400 lbs. The milk of a cow is meant for her calf to grow to that huge extent and size. The milk that is mass produced is laden with hormones, puss from her teets being over-pumped with cold metallic clamps. All this no matter how you pasteurize it, ends up in common milk. Raw, organic milk doesn't have the growth harmones but it is still unnecessary for the human body, and still not worth the abuse and torture. The emotional state of these cows- frustrated, tired, sad, distraught, stressed- all of that energy is in the milk. It is no wonder so many are ill, diseased, obese, and finding curious conditions in themselves. Dairy is usually tainted with various harmones such as rBST - which make the cow pump hundreds of gallons of milk when it really should only be pumping out enough to nourish its baby. The ONLY REASON A COW PRODUCES MILK- is for it's calf to get nourished and fed, and grow to that large 1500 lb size. Human beings are the ONLY MAMMAL to drink the milk of another mammal. This is not natural.

The Vegan Food Pyramid- so many great choices.
But my turning vegan earlier this year was not for these reasons stated above. As an advocate for animals, and a member of PETA, having a brand of natural eco-conscious cosmetics that are almost fully vegan, I came across a few videos on social media sites, that showed what really goes on in dairy farms. I learned through a friend, some research, and the reality of what happens on dairy farms via hidden footage videos from PETA, and Mercy for Animals on the realities of what was happening.

Truly, I have no idea how anyone with a heart and soul can consume dairy, let alone MEAT after watching only 5 minutes of the extreme torture, suffering, and torment that these animals go through. From the conditions of dirt, bugs, feces that the cows stand in, to the pus that gets excreted from their nipples being so sore because they produce so much excess milk because of the hormones. This in itself was bad enough to witness. But what ALARMED me was the ABUSE and TORTURE that the cows and their babies went through for that cold glass of milk that we selfishly enjoy.



The Milking Process
It is so saddening. I only thought the torture was with animals who were slaughtered for meat. Boy was I wrong. A cow only produces milk for her baby calf. In dairy, they pump cows with hormones to produce gallons more milk than the cow can normally produce. They clamp on cold, heavy metallic milkers and pump on her already sensitive milk-giving area leaving her soar, in pain, and tired. They literally TOSS AWAY the calf, only 1-3 days after it is born, and leave it crying and suffering for its mother- the mother also gets frustrated and aggravated looking for her baby- it is in nature- for a mother to WANT to NURTURE and CARE and FEED her BABY!!!


Can you imagine what sorrow, suffering, and torture this is to both the cow and her baby calf?? Energetically speaking- can you see how much negative, painful, sad, depressive energy exists in such situations? That is the energy of milk, cheese, dairy and any other product YOU consume from an animal. They suffer. They see and watch their fellow animals suffer. And this is what you consume(if you are not vegan).
Cows die of infection, exhaustion, and the incessant levels of hormones they are injected with.

Not only that- your body is not made up to take a COW's milk!! As a baby, it is recommended that a mother feed her baby breast-milk. After a year to 2 years max, even that stops. The amount of fat and nutrient dense content in a COW's milk- is meant to build HER baby calf up into a full grown, several hundred pound COW!!! It is not meant for you.

DIRT AND SLUDGE LIVING CONDITIONS
Cows, thousands of them, stand lined up in small pens, that are concrete(not even hay and let's forget grass). They are chained, with stapled piercings to "mark" them for identification.  They are lined in metal bars, that encage them, leaving them very little room to sit comfortably or stand. They excrete right there, and have to wait for the farmhands to come clean up after them. This can take up to the next day. What are they to do? In such small enclosement, they end up sitting right in it. Can you imagine the level of disease and parasites, bacteria, and germs that begin developing in the cow itself? Please don't fool yourself thinking this only happens some places, some farms, but not yours. I assure you, the farms are FACTORIES with HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of animals. They only have so many people who can clean up after them.
This filth and feces invested pen is TYPICAL and very COMMON in dairy farms.

ANIMAL FARM WORKERS- ABUSE
Take a look at this JERK abusing the cow, with his foot on her- this isn't the worst of it - FAR WORSE happens.
From the time a baby calf is born, within a day to three days she is literally RIPPED AWAY from her mother. The baby cries in hunger, feelings of being lost, and despair. The mother cries in frustration, pacing and getting angry and violent at times, because her maternal instincts cannot be gratified. Nature cannot take its course. The cows are impregnated by sticking a huge needle up their private area, to impregnate them. They go through extreme pain in this unnatural process. Can you imagine cold, metallic prodding down there, with a hand inserted after? If your DOG or CAT has feelings, and can feel pain, what makes you think this mammal does not? The cow is one of the more intelligent and social animals in the mammal family.

PETA videos to watch:



Unfortunately, the level of care is extremely low. These workers seem to take their frustrations out on these poor animals, who themselves are doing nothing but giving up their lives for humans to be more comfortable and have dairy(or even steak if we talk about slaughter farms). They cannot even HUMANELY stand in their torture chambers aka pens- to top it, they are BEATEN, KICKED, PUNCHED and many times bleed profusely. Cows witness each other being tortured, and even killed. They sadly witness their calves being dragged away from them, and are helpless, and cannot do anything to defend themselves. They are absolutely defenseless. Does this seem FAIR, JUST, or RIGHT to you? It doesn't to me, and if you have a heart, a conscience, and a soul, it should have some affect on you. It should at least be getting you to think.

This cow, giving its sweat, blood, everything, is chained up in very TIGHT quarters and is PUNCHED by this fool.




Wisconsin farmer CAUGHT RED HANDED kicking and abusing innocent, bovine cows. This farm was under fire for this- and RIGHTFULLY SO.



The point of all this- everything has a consequence. We think we are just having that glass of milk, slice of cheese, or bowl of icecream. But if you look beyond it, and see where it all comes from, you will never see dairy the same way. If you have not seen the level of torture that these animals are tormented with- I urge you to watch the videos, 3 examples of millions of tortures happening every day. Please go to PETA or Mercy for Animals and investigate for yourself. It will be life-changing for most of you.

It is for this reason, Be Natural Cosmetics is going 100% vegan, from being 95%vegan(using beeswax in lipstick, and pearl/silk powder in finishing powders).

For more information on veganism, animal cruelty, and dairy farm torture, please visit PETAand go to Mercy For Animals, and you will see first hand what animals go through for human pleasure. Another great site- Click Here.

Think twice, and eat smart, and better! GO VEGAN. The choices are abundant the options are unlimited.



New Cosmetics ON the WAYYYYY!!!

Hey guys!

We have been busy behind the scenes and are super excited to present in the next few months(in time for the holidays!)

All new products will be 100% vegan, almost 100% organic, and all-natural, gluten-free and cruelty-free. Look out for them in the next few weeks.

And you might have noticed that Be Natural Cosmetics (formerly Glam Girl Naturals Cosmetics) is rebranded, with a new logo, and new site. This is all part of the new and improved Be Natural Cosmetics!


Friday, July 26, 2013

Gluten-Free Vegan Wrap- Protein Rich, Flavor-full and Delish!

I used to live by this great vegan place called Terri's NYC, and now that I don't, I had to come up with my delicious kind of vegan wrap!

I used my ingredients from Trader Joe's.

Ingredients:
1 Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Brown Rice Wrap
1 ounce Trader Joe's Firm Non-GMO Tofu
1 handful of Trader Joe's Baby Spinach
1 quarter of Trader Joe's Red Onion
1 quarter tomato chopped
1 1/2 Tb Trader Joe's Original Hummus(so yumm!)
1-2 Tb Trader Joe's Smokey Chipotle Salsa- use as much or as little as you like
1 oz of Feta
salt to taste
pepper to taste
red chilli (cayenne) to taste

Method:
Take your wrap, and lay on top of a sheet of aluminum foil. Spread over it your Hummus. Then add your spinach, and chopped up onion on top. Add next your tofu. Top with salt, pepper, cayenne, and the salsa. Carefully wrap up, and wrap the foil right around it. You will need it to toast and then hold all the juices in.

Toast in your toaster oven for a few minutes. You can also skip this and eat it cold. I like mine a little warm!

Take out, unwrap at the top, and ENJOY!!!

I like this because every component has nutritional value and is protein packed.




Friday, May 31, 2013

Gluten Free Walnut Chocolate Chip Bars

One of my FAVORITE loves of life is cooking for my family and friends, and them enjoying what I make! I am going to start adding gluten-free and other fav dish recipes here so that you can try them out too, if you have a finesse for cooking!


I have included 2 recipes- 1 is the easy way to make them, and the 2nd is for when you want to take the time and make some gluten free chocolate chip cookies with some TLC!

I love Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. And so do my neices and nephew when I make them! I wanted to make cookie bars just to try something different, so I basically mixed all wet and dry ingredients per Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe instructions. For those of you who do not eat eggs, yogurt is a natural substitute- for one egg, instead use one tablespoon(Tb) yogurt. Any plain yogurt will do, or if you want more of a vanilla taste add vanilla flavored yogurt instead!

Once I have the dough ready, I lightly grease the a baking sheet with organic butter or a light olive oil. The thickness when you lay out the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet should be about half an inch. Press the dough onto the cookie sheet and press down and to the edges if it is smaller in size(the cookie sheet), if the sheet is larger, one of the sides will require you to make the edges into a straight line to form a rectangle.

Once you have that, get some Trader Joes Walnuts, or any fairtrade, organic walnut brand, and chop them so that they are little peanut sized peices. Sprinkle over the cookie dough, and press into dough so that they can cook evenly.

I think the cooking time is about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Once it's done, leave to cool, then cut when it is lukewarm or cooled down completely(if you can wait!), and cut into 2" x 2" peices, and ENJOY!
Here is the next choco chip cookie recipe, courtesy of Gluten Free On a ShoeString, a great blog for gluten-free cooking! 
Ingredients
2 cups (280 g) high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (125 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (55 g) packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 extra-large egg at room temperature, beaten
9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Directions
  • Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
  • In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk, working out any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the butter and shortening, then the vanilla and egg, and mix to combine. The dough will be thick.
  • In a separate small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with the cornstarch to coat. Add the chips and cornstarch to the cookie dough in the large bowl. Mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  • Scrape the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape it into a log about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and close the plastic wrap tightly over the log. Place the dough log in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove the cookie dough from the freezer, unwrap, and slice with a large serrated or very sharp chef's knife thickly in cross-section into rounds that are nearly 3/4-inch thick. Place the rounds about 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet, and bake, rotating once during baking, until the cookies are lightly golden brown and set, about 12 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm. Store any leftovers in the freezer, in a freezer-safe container or wrap.
I love both, have tried both, and am sure any chocolate chip cookie lover will not know the difference between these and the regular ones! And remember, use yogurt to substitute eggs, if you do not eat eggs!

Bon Appetite!





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