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Be a Sneaky Vegan Activist

A month or so ago, I wrote a little missive to the editor of my local newspaper about the rationale for going vegan. A friend emailed to say how much he had loved my “take no prisoners” letter. Yikes. I wasn’t sure if I was pleased or mortified. But there are times when it makes sense to lay it on the line, and letters to the editor are among many good opportunities for that.

There are also times when it pays to be a little bit more subtle. I’ve written before about what it means to live as a […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-31T10:25:00-04:00July 31st, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|13 Comments

Vegan Before Six: Did Mark Bittman Help or Harm Vegan Efforts?

In my examiner column last week I wrote about Mark Bittman’s decision to add small amounts of meat to his Vegan Before Six plan while training for a marathon. If you don’t follow Bittman, he is a celebrity chef who devised a plan to eat vegan meals before 6:00 p.m. and then whatever he wanted for dinner. He wanted to reduce his cholesterol and weight without entirely giving up his favorite foods.

As I’ve stated here more than once, I don’t like the health argument for vegan diet (not to mention the fact that there is no health […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-30T10:44:00-04:00July 30th, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|10 Comments

Say Yes to Bigotry and No To Veganism With the Fattening Food Tax?

Will we have a fattening food tax? I doubt it. But even the discussion of this idea is disturbing to me for two rather different reasons.

First, the current conversation about this approach involves some appalling bigotry. In their statement of why they think the food tax could work, The Urban Institute says that part of the rationale “involves personal responsibility, argued as follows: People have the right to buy food that will make them obese. But they need to take responsibility for the costs they impose on the rest of us. They do this by paying a […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-28T15:01:00-04:00July 28th, 2009|6 Comments

Everyone Is a Potential Vegan

One of my favorite organizations, Vegan Outreach, focuses efforts on college students and other young people—those who are most apt to listen to a vegan message. Given the huge task of moving society toward a more vegan ethic, it makes sense to start wherever success is most likely.

That’s why it’s disappointing to me when activists disparage those who truly have vegan potential—vegetarians (of the lacto-ovo variety) and people who are moved by animal welfare issues, but not animal rights.

I volunteer at my local animal shelter where the other volunteers obviously love animals and are committed to […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-16T11:12:00-04:00July 16th, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|37 Comments

The Tipping Point: Lessons For Vegan Activists?

Taken from the field of epidemiology, a tipping point is the moment at which a contagious disease “tips” and becomes an epidemic. From a sociological point of view, it’s the point at which momentum for change becomes unstoppable. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is about turning messages—about ideas, behaviors or products—into epidemics.

How do we spread a vegan message to the point where it tips? Obviously this book doesn’t offer a blueprint for that. But it gives some ideas—and some fascinating food for thought—based on research from marketing, sociology, and education.

A few concepts:

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-14T14:43:00-04:00July 14th, 2009|Tags: Resources, Vegan activism|0 Comments

A Vegan’s Ode To The Chickpea

I have very few brilliant ideas of my own and must admit that this one—a poem about chickpeas—was inspired by some friends on twitter—ReluctantVeggie and LeafyV. You can find links to their work and words of wisdom at the end of this post. But first..my ode to everyone’s favorite bean.

A Vegan’s Ode To The Chickpea

If you’ve been to a vegan pot luck
Where everyone brings a dish
You’ve tasted six kinds of hummus
Thank goodness it’s so delish.

It’s tasty because it has chickpeas
A very delectable bean
But hummus is just for starters

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-10T10:06:00-04:00July 10th, 2009|Tags: Beans, Poems|0 Comments

From Nutrition Counseling to Vegan Activism

Some people just don’t like vegans. The fact of our ethical veganism, even if we don’t say a word about it, can be an affront to those who are still eating animal foods. We challenge the way others eat and live just by being vegan. And, understandably, most people feel discomfort when their way of life is challenged.

But it’s more than that. People expect to be scolded by vegans. How many times have you heard that vegans are judgmental, superior and unkind? Is that an unfair assessment or do some vegans alienate the very people they want to […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-09T14:18:00-04:00July 9th, 2009|Tags: My journey, Vegan activism|6 Comments

Can Vegans Be Fun?

My local newspaper has recently been running a string of letters to the editor about diet. I wrote last week defending the healthfulness of veganism and advocating for this way of eating. Several replies popped up on the paper’s website. They were mostly the usual stuff: Vegan diets are too hard to plan, too expensive, vegans have a moral superiority complex, how do you know that plants don’t feel pain, etc, etc.

But the comment that caught my attention was from […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-07-02T13:26:00-04:00July 2nd, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|12 Comments

Vegan Tuna Burgers: Old-fashioned Comfort

When I attended Gregory Elementary School in West Orange, N.J., our infrequent art and cooking classes were always an exciting break from the classroom. They were held in a big activities room filled with long tables and lined on one wall with a kitchen. Once a month or so we trudged up there for “home economics,” which always involved preparation and tasting of a simple recipe.

An absolute favorite and one I always remembered was the tuna burger recipe […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-06-29T10:01:00-04:00June 29th, 2009|Tags: Recipes|5 Comments

Can a Vegan Support Meatless Monday?

I’ve been in this business a long time—as both an activist and a dietitian—and I must say, I’ve never been so confused about all of the terminology and events and opportunities surrounding plant-based eating. My head is often spinning but I’m starting to see that this is a good thing. The reason there is so much going on is that lots of people are talking about animal agriculture.

When I first became a vegan the only people who even knew the term factory farming were other vegans. Now almost everyone knows what it is and that it’s […]