Reasons for Becoming Vegetarian

Many people become vegetarians because of religious or ethical convictions that prohibit the killing of animals. Some simply don’t think it’s cool to kill and believe we are meant to be stewards and caretakers of the earth and its inhabitants. These people do not wish to support practices that inflict harm or suffering on any creature who has the capacity to feel pain.

The small family farm where husbandry practices engendered a certain respect for animals used for food is becoming a thing of the past. Today, most of the world’s meat, dairy, and egg production occurs on massive factory farms owned by agribusiness conglomerates. Farming has become big business, and profits dictate how the animals are treated – which means they’re often kept and transported in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

image source

A great deal of evidence exists linking the consumption of animal products to heart disease and certain forms of cancer. Other studies suggest that over-consuming animal products leads to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, gout, and kidney stones. In addition, animals raised on factory farms are routinely given hormones to accelerate their rate of growth, and antibiotics to protect their health when housed in less than sanitary environments.

Go Veg, Walk Lightly

Following a vegetarian lifestyle is a great way to help the planet. Today, people are becoming more aware of environmental issues. Earth Day celebrations, rain forest preservation, and global warming initiatives are becoming more widespread. But how does eating meat-free help the earth?

The environmental impact of a vegan diet is a fraction of the impact of the standard American diet (SAD), with its high consumption of animal products and processed foods. Going veg for the planet returns a lot of positive effects. Check out this list for a few of the biggies:

Feed the hungry. Animals are fed more than 80 percent of the corn and 95 percent of the oats grown in the United States. Each year, the U.S. livestock population consumes enough grain and soybeans to feed more than five times the U.S. human population. Less than half of the harvested agricultural acreage goes to feed people.

Preserve the rain forests. To support cattle grazing, Latin American countries are deliberately destroying their rain forests. These rain forests contain close to half of all the species on Earth and many medicinal plants. For each acre of forest land cleared for human purposes, 7 acres of forest is cleared for grazing livestock or growing livestock feed.

Pure and clean water. The factory farm industry causes a tremendous amount of groundwater pollution due to the chemicals, pesticides, and waste runoff inherent in its practices.

Efficient land use. The human population is increasing at a dramatic rate. How we use land to produce food is more of an issue as the human race proliferates. According to the USDA, 1 acre of land can produce 20,000 pounds of vegetables. This same amount of land can only produce 165 pounds of meat.

There are many more benefits, of course, including soil preservation, the rights of indigenous people, and promoting sustainable agriculture. Insuring the integrity of the plant kingdom as our sole food source is one of the greatest challenges humankind faces today.

by Mark Reinfeld, Author, Vegan Fusion World Cuisine: Healing Recipes and Timeless Wisdom from our Hearts to Yours & The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw (Complete Idiot’s Guide to)

November 1st was World Vegan Day. In celebration of this day I would like to share  a bit about vegans and what the vegan diet is all about.

A vegetarian diet is one that does not include meat, fish or poultry. Vegan food contains no animal products or byproducts. It’s vegetarian without the dairy or eggs. The lifestyle of a vegan is also free from animal products. This means no leather handbags, no silk shirts, no products tested on animals, and so on. Because vegan foods do not include any animal products, they’re often referred to as plant-based foods. The reasons people choose to become vegan are many, as you will discover as you read this article.

A Little History

The Vegetarian Society was formed in England in 1847 to provide a forum for vegetarians to share their love of all things vegetarian. One hundred and forty people from diverse backgrounds and social positions attended the first meeting, and the society has grown into a robust movement with branches around the world.

In 1944, members of the Vegetarian Society who wanted to focus solely on veganism formed the Vegan Society. Donald Watson was the first president, and he actually first coined the word vegan. Today, the Vegan Society is a vibrant international organization that continues to promote its message.

image source: flickr

Famous Vegetarians

Throughout history, great thinkers, philosophers, artists, and musicians have embraced a vegetarian lifestyle. Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, and Nikola Tesla were vegetarians. Woody Harrelson, Alicia Silverstone, Demi Moore, Natalie Portman, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Kasem, and so many other celebrities also eat meat-free. Even musicians such as and Bob Dylan and Natalie Merchant are vegetarians. The list also includes Vincent Van Gogh, George Bernard Shaw, Dr. Jane Goodall and even the original Ronald McDonald.

Albert Einstein, best known for his famous, mind-bending E=mc2 equation, thought a vegetarian diet was the key to health for us and for the planet. He even went so far as to say, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

Whether they’re members of the Vegetarian or Vegan Society or your next-door neighbor, each vegetarian and vegan has his or her own reasons for eating meat-free. Most people embrace the veggie way because of health, environmental, or ethical reasons.

In our next post we will go into the reasons why people choose vegan and vegetarian lifestyles.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mark Reinfeld is the founding chef of the Blossoming Lotus Restaurants and a recipient of a 2006 Platinum carrot award given by the Aspen Center of Integral Health to ‘Americas Top Healthy Gourmet Chefs’. He is a recognized authority in the field of healthy cuisine. Mark is the coauthor of Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, winner of 9 national awards. His latest book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw coauthored with Jennifer Murray and Bo Rinaldi is available through booksellers everywhere. Please visit www.veganfusion.com or www.blossominglotus.com for more information.

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Kay Snow Davis, the founder of Global Family Education Center & Earth~Harmony~Home present a special encore presentation recording of a recent conference call which Kay hosted.

Listen and get clear about what this window of grace means for you!
Engage your Intuitive Consciousness…
Breathe into your Self-Appreciation…
Embrace this “Window of Grace”…
as the Support it is meant to be…
Set yourself FREE!

Because this recording was taken from a conference call we apologize for a few beeps and background interruptions. The call is mostly unedited. We decided not to edit these bits as you would have missed some valuable information from Kay.

Kay Snow – Davis hosts monthly live conference calls. If you would like to participate on Kay’s next call please let us know by filling out our contact form [ad#ad-2]

It’s another raw food day at Earth Harmony Home.

Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray share techniques for preparing raw foods. Mark Reinfeld founding chef of the award winning Blossoming Lotus Restaurant on Kauai. Mark is the author of Vegan World Fusion Cuisine Cookbook, The 7 Minute Chef E-book and the brand new soon to be released “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw”. Joining us for our conversation is Mark’s wife and co-author of the idiots guide to Eating Raw is Jennifer Murray.

“Recipes so good you’ll want to eat this book” Woody Harrelson

Episode Highlights:

• Acknowledgments and praise for the book
• Raw Food preparation techniques.
  • sprouting
  • soaking
  • dehydration
  • and more…

Please also listen to part 1 and part 2 of the Raw Foods Guide series where Mark and Jennifer talk about what inspired The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw. Stay tuned for more episodes in the near future.

Be sure to check out some of our previous episodes with Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray here at Earth Harmony Home

• Vegan Fusion and The Blossoming Lotus
• 7 Minute Chef- learn 7 minute techniques
• Simple Grapefruit Salad – video
• Spirulina Popcorn – What’s the Secret – video
• Guacamole – Sensalicious Cooking – video

In our upcoming episode with Mark and Jennifer learn about the 4 week raw success program.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw

Check out Mark’s previous book:

Vegan Fusion World Cuisine: Healing Recipes and Timeless Wisdom from our Hearts to Yours

~ The Mother

• Lack of proper breathing technique is the major culprit of tension based dis-eases.
• Headaches, high blood pressure, indigestion and anger can all be controlled, if not totally eliminate, through proper breathing.
• Proper breathing is not only paramount to one’s physical and mental health, it is most important to one’s spiritual well being.
• If spiritual harmony is neglected and not maintained along with the physical and mental portions of the human body, the entire human structure is thrown out of balance.
• Contemplating the breath is as important to one’s mental and spiritual health as physical exercise is to the body.
• Proper breathing calms the body and soothes the “soul”. It centers and grounds and it brings one back into universal alignment.

Breath in this moment,
relax and release the tension,
Exhale, release the energy that is
built up in your body.
Be present in this moment
be one with relaxation.

Show Highlights:

• Anna shares her journey to Michigan to meet William, to learn Karuna Reiki
• William talks about the path to Karuna Reiki’s discovery
• Debra shares her appreciation and recognition of the importance of tools like this in today’s evolving world; a tool that offers incredible support as we shift in our vibration
• Moving miracle stories
• Seeing seeming obstacles as invitations and gifts that will help us shift

For more information about Karuna Reiki and the classes that William offers you can check out his website: www.reiki.org.

Click here if you missed our first conversation with William. In this episode William shared the path that led him to Reiki, the history of Reiki and how he feels Reiki saved his life after a severe heart attack.

Don’t forget to visit Debra’s co-host Anna Twinney’s website: www.reachouttohorses.com![ad#ad-2]

In today’s episode on “Reach Out” your hosts, Anna and Debra spend some time with William Lee Rand of the International Center for Reiki Training. William is the editor of the Reiki News Magazine and has been a passionate teacher and sharer of Reiki world wide full time for the past 18 years. William is a great story teller and inspiring teacher…at one point in the interview William even shares the story of his own heart attack, the Reiki that healed him and the lessons he learned from it! Enjoy listening…

As you listen today, we invite you to be open to the flow of Reiki Healing Energy that William shares throughout our conversation.

Show Highlights:

• William shares his most “miraculous” story of Reiki~the Reiki that saved his life!…and the lessons his heart attack taught him about the precious gift that life is…”Gratitude keeps the door open to life and that’s how life energy flows into the heart, because it’s grateful for being alive…”
• Anna shares how she met William and what drew her to taking a course with him in Michigan
• Energy-Esoterics-Evidence ~ The balance of these 3 things are what Anna and many students find most inspiring with William’s work
• William shares how he came to find Reiki and the path that led him there, including world travels and some time living with a Kahuna (equivalent to Shaman) in Hawaii
• Japan, the birthplace of Reiki…how do the Japanese practice and train with Reiki
• William supports his students in developing their own styles and trusting their own intuitions

In our next episode with William he’ll share Karuna Reiki with us, how it was discovered collectively and what it offers today.

To learn more about William Lee Rand, founder and president of The International Center for Reiki Training click here.[ad#ad-2]

My body is like a divining rod or an energetic barometer of sorts! Seriously. It can be a bit daunting at times. Over the years I’ve made a relationship with this phenomena. I’ve come to know it…I’ve come to recognize it for what it is. I’ve come to embrace this quality as a gift, one that I am deeply grateful for.

In the early days of my awareness game I wasn’t so clued to the energetic principles I understand now. I thought surely I must be a hypochondriac because I could feel absolutely fine one moment and the next feel as though I was deathly ill. Sometimes I realized that it happened when I was around others who were feeling sick, or angry…imagine any intense feeling or emotional situation…and then imagine how that translates to a physical experience in your body…tightness, cramps, upset stomach…even a pain in the neck (!!) or a pain in the a**! LOL Seriously, the physical translations in my body were pretty unbelievable. Now, thanks to much studying with wonderful teachers, earthly and other-worldly, I can now be aware of these “experiences” without fully “taking them on” or manifesting them physically. For the most part I can “feel” them energetically, have an awareness of them and respond appropriately.

On the physical side of things I’ve also come to understand that if I’m experiencing something unusual or uncomfortable (maybe even something super comfortable :0) in my body that doesn’t seem to directly link or correlate it’s time to bring my awareness to that…thank it for it’s presence, ask it some important questions, listen for the answers and then send it graciously on its way.

Astrologically speaking my friend Kay has pointed out some very interesting things that support what I’ve just described. She says I have 4 earth signs, 5 water signs, 3 fire and -0- air. Apparently with all those signs in earth and water explain what I already know to be true…that I have the kind of body that feels and fields LOTS! (It’s always good to have confirmative support, isn’t it? :0)

So for me my awareness comes through my body…I feel it. That comes through with a strong sense of “knowing” and sometimes I feel I hear things as well. (…interesting, notice how I keyed, “I feel I hear things”, obviously I’m big in the ‘feeling’ category!) Sometimes I’m lucky enough to “see” something. In dreams that happens for me and I awake with a cool vision…but mostly even then I preface the experience with “…and it felt like…”

How about you? Are you aware of how your awareness presents itself? Do you have a sense of it?

by Debra

Join us as we continue our new series, Divine Bites, with host Debra Gehrke and Annie B. Kay, the author of Every Bite is Divine.

In our 10th Divine Bite Debra and Annie share remembering yourself.

Divine Bites are bite sized offerings served to you on Earth Harmony Home.

Get Annie’s book: Every Bite Is Divine

Annie’s web site: Annie B. Kay

Opening and Closing Music:  Mike Golay, Resolucion from the album Across the Bridge [ad#ad-2]

Join us as we continue our new series, Divine Bites, with host Debra Gehrke and Annie B. Kay, the author of Every Bite is Divine.

In our 9th Divine Bite Debra and Annie share how yoga can be part of your spiritual path.

Divine Bites are bite sized offerings served to you on Earth Harmony Home.

Get Annie’s book: Every Bite Is Divine

Annie’s web site: Annie B. Kay

Opening and Closing Music:  Mike Golay, Resolucion from the album Across the Bridge [ad#ad-2]

Join us as we continue our new series, Divine Bites, with host Debra Gehrke and Annie B. Kay, the author of Every Bite is Divine.

In our 8th Divine Bite Debra and Annie share how yoga is a tool for transformation.

Divine Bites are bite sized offerings served to you weekly on Earth Harmony Home in between our regular podcasts.

Get Annie’s book: Every Bite Is Divine

Annie’s web site: Annie B. Kay

Opening and Closing Music:  Mike Golay, Resolucion from the album Across the Bridge [ad#ad-2]

Dr. James Rouse shares how thinking and keeping gratitude journals helps you feel better and take better care of yourself.

Join us as we continue our new series, Divine Bites, with host Debra Gehrke and Annie B. Kay, the author of Every Bite is Divine.

In our 7th Divine Bite Debra and Annie share being fit at any size.

Divine Bites are bite sized offerings served to you on Earth Harmony Home.
 Every Bite Is Divine

Annie’s web site: Annie B. Kay

Opening and Closing Music:  Mike Golay, Resolucion from the album Across the Bridge [ad#ad-2]

That tall glass of iced tea or steaming hot cup of chai could save your life — or at least prolong it.

So say an increasing number of researchers pointing to the Camellia sinensis plant, (from which green, black, and white teas are made) as a remarkable, oft-underestimated health tonic with the ability to fend off cancer, reverse heart disease, and promote mental clarity, to name a few.

“Not a day goes by in which somebody isn’t discovering another fantastic thing about tea and its role in determining human health,” says Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the USA, an industry trade group. “We now have scientific credibility to back many of the intuitive things that have been said about tea over the years.”

Of course, tea has been associated with calmness and well-being for roughly 5,000 years, since — as the legend goes — a Chinese emperor accidentally dropped some leaves from a nearby tree into the water he was boiling.

link to the rest of the article

Get ready for a SUPER healthy snack that kids will LOVE! Crispy Kale is easy to make, super nutritious and super tasty!

Click To Play

In this episode, Blossoming Lotus chef Jessica Murray shows Debra Gehrke of Earth~Harmony~Home how to make a sensalicious snack that even kids will love.

Did you know that Kale is a… **dun–ta–duuuunnnnn**… Superfood?! Why yes it is! Kale is a dark, leafy green (which already tells you it’s good for you) and it’s packed with vitamins C, K and A…and it’s high in fiber with many disease fighting qualities.

Kale is not the only featured “super hero” ingredient in this recipe…Nutritional Yeast also makes a grand appearance. Nutritional Yeast (not to be confused with baking yeast) is also a Superfood. It’s yummy nutty, cheesy flavor is packed with protein, it contain essential amino acids and it’s rich in B vitamins, B-12 and folic acid which is necessary for the formation, growth and reproduction of red blood cells.

You can find these and many more interesting, educational tidbits in the “food is medicine” sections of the e-book: 7 Minute Chef!

This quick and easy Krispy Kale recipe quite honestly shocked me…it is SOOO delicious, with the huge benefit of being ultra-nutritious at the same time! I made it at home with our kids right after Jessica shared it with us on the show and I can tell you it was like a magic disappearing act. The Krispy Kale disappeared right before my very eyes! Our children and their friends consumed it like there was no tomorrow…and it’s a dark, leafy green vegetable…pretty impressive if you ask me. Now that’s sensalicious cooking at it’s finest!

This recipe appears on page 89 in the 7 MINUTE CHEF e-book. *Jessica’s wisdom: “Please use the curly leaf variety of Kale”*

View other Sensalicious Cooking Episodes NOW!

Check out the 7 Minute Chef cookbook and the award winning cookbook, Vegan World Fusion Cuisine

7 Minute Chef is the wonderful new ebook

Click Here to order you copy today!