Compassionate Cooks
Food for Thought - Vegetarianism and Animal Rights
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Grateful for Goats
Today I want to talk about this amazing animal that endures a number of abuses by humans and yet isn???t really talked about a lot ??? even by animal advocates. Today I want to talk about and honor goats. Full of spunk and spark and life, we betray them by killing them for their flesh, by exploiting …
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Fish Consumption and By-Catch
Our consumption of fish has many consequences - not only for the fish we eat but also for other fish/crustaceans, for cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), for marine mammals, for birds, and for ecosystems. In addition to the 17 billion aquatic animals we kill in the U.S. for human consumpti …
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Like Animals
Perhaps the most offensive thing you can say about people - if you really want it to sting - is that they're "like animals." We use, abuse, exploit, denigrate animals and relegate them to the lowliest place in society and then blame them for being "animals." We compare them to humans and consider th …
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Teen (and College-Age) Vegetarians
A much-anticipated episode, today's topic is dedicated to all the teen vegetarians out there, though its subject matter is relevant for parents as well. Many teenagers don't have the support of their parents when they make the decision to become vegetarian/vegan, and we talk about why this is and ho …
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Peace for Pigs
Today's episode is dedicated to pigs ??? how wonderful they are, how we misrepresent them in our society, and what affect that has on our treatment of them. Pigs are exploited and used by humans in a variety of ways: as research tools, as ???food animals,??? in high school science classes, as entert …
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Eat Your Vegetables!
Study after study concludes that people just aren't eating their vegetables. They're eating plenty of meat, dairy, and eggs, but they're not eating their vegetables. In today's episode, I offer a number of suggestions and tips for incorporating more plant foods into our diet - from chopping veggies …
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Turning the Tables
Vegetarians and vegans often find themselves having to defend not only their own eating habits but vegetarianism and veganism as a whole - both philosophically and nutritionally. When it comes to health, those aiming for a plant-based diet are definitely on the right track, especially considering ho …
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What do Vegetarians Feed their Dogs and Cats?
Feeding our dogs and cats the diet that is healthiest for them is something many people are concerned with. An ethical consideration arises when we become vegan or vegetarian and start to question the ethics of supporting the slaughter industry by feeding our dogs and cats meat. In this episode, I o …
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Response to: Why don't you spend your time on people instead of animals? or Why don't you care abou …
Anyone who has ever acted or spoken on behalf of animals has learned that criticism will often follow. Sometimes, it's in the form of a provocation such as: ???Why aren???t you helping people instead of wasting your time on animals???? Though it's formed as a question, the inquisitors are not really …
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Life After Cheese
If you have ever said or thought that you could "never give up cheese," this episode is for you. In it, I explore our irrational attachment to this stuff and suggest that it is a combination of factors that foster our addiction to cheese. I suggest that our desire for it is really a desire for somet …
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Becoming Re-Sensitized
The process of becoming de-sensitized to animal suffering happens at a very early age. Though our innate compassion is unfettered and unconditional when we're young, we receive messages that indicate that not only should this compassion be left on the threshold of adulthood but that certain animals …
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Soy is Not Evil
A handful of individuals have been incredibly successful at demonizing a bean - a bean! Our obsession with single nutrients, our reliance on media sound bites for our health advice, our misunderstanding of the power of the anti-vegetarian agenda, our reliance on processed foods are the problems - no …
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Mutilation: An Ugly Word, An Ugly Act
The word is a disturbing one, but I???m not using it merely to disturb. I???m using it because it aptly describes what I???m talking about. The root of the word means ???to cut up, to cut off,??? and that???s what we do systematically to billions of animals ??? because we can. To my mind, to mutila …
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An Essential Mineral: Iron
Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the U.S. and worldwide. The groups that are most susceptible are women who menstruate (that is, women of childbearing age), pregnant and lactating women, teenagers, and children aged 6 months to 4 years. This is true for vegetarians and non-v …
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Minding the Gatekeepers
I'm always struck by the notion that vegetarianism is a political position but eating meat is neutral. You know what I mean? The media are usually afraid to touch the subject (vegetarianism) lest they be promoting a particular position, as if they're NOT promoting a particular position when they rep …
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Taking It All In
A number of you have written and asked me to talk about what else you can do beyond just stopping eating animals and animal secretions. You want to do more, and I commend you. We need you. The animals need you, and there much work to do. In another show we???ll talk about specific things you can do, …
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Five Favorite Foods: Quinoa, Kale, Blueberries, Tempeh, and Tea
I can tell you honestly that these nutritional powerhouses were not always on my list of favorite foods. Luckily, our palates change, and when we begin to eat healthier foods, we stop craving fatty, salty, processed, packaged junk. In this episode, I talk about my favorite foods, why they're so bene …
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Don't Buy a Cow
I've always been perplexed by the claim that animal advocates are anti-human. It seems really odd to me because though we're reminded every day that humans steal, lie, cheat, kill, rape, and hurt each other, I???ve never heard any of these people called It seems to me that the accusation would bett …
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An Essential Vitamin: B12
Granted, this may not be the sexiest topic in the world, but understanding our basic requirements for optimum health is important. Despite what many people believe, vitamin B12 is not animal-derived. Take a listen to find out everything you've always wanted to know about this water-soluble vitamin.
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Speaking your Truth
I???ve heard some people say that they???re not vegetarian because they don't want to make their non-vegetarian friends and family uncomfortable, they don???t want to appear difficult, they don't want to appear different. Noble though it sounds, I think we underestimate our friends and family in the …
Compassionate Cooks
