Sainsbury's to Begin Promoting a Vegetarian Diet More

[Debby]

I just came across this interesting article in the Guardian about changes to how food is promoted and displayed at some grocery stores in the UK and starting with Sainsbury's.

Among other things, the plan is to put the veg'n alternatives beside the traditional choices (no more separate aisle), vouchers and loyalty points to those who chose the veg. options, and recipes and leaflets suggesting alternative menu's and dishes!

'British shoppers are to become the subject of an experiment aimed at making them eat their greens. In a bold move to rebalance the contents of supermarket trolleys, Oxford academics have teamed up with supermarket chiefs to persuade consumers to buy less meat.The project, in which Sainsbury’s is a key collaborator, is being funded as part of a £5m Wellcome Trust programme, Our Planet, our Health, which aims to improve human health in a world going through profound climatic change. Eating more vegetables and fruit and less red meat will benefit people’s health and the environment, say researchers.......The move to take specific steps to get people to eat more vegetarian food comes in the wake of a study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US last year, which concluded that eating less meat could reduce global mortality by 6-10% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30-70%. “The food system is responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, of which up to 80% are associated with livestock production,” say the authors, who were led by Oxford researcher Marco Springmann..'




https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...sles-more-veg-sainsburys-cut-meat-consumption

 

[WhatInThe]

Might be some health benefits for the person but not necessarily the environment.

https://www.thequint.com/environmen...ment-carbon-footprint-than-vegetarian-veggies

The problem with reliance on veggies is growing them on a large scale. It's even recommended that people buy locally off of smaller farms. And the volume of vegetables needed to replace what meat does is much greater. If one has a high protein intake the volume of veggies needed to replace a piece of meat is greater. Can't hurt to add or supplement with vegetables but replace diet with them is another story.

 

[Capt Lightning]

I can't see the benefit of putting vegetarian meals in the same aisle as other meals. Surely it makes the choice for vegetarians easier if the choice is clearer. What I do think is that locally sourced seasonal vegetables need to be promoted more. It's not that people eat too much meat - there's a lot more than protein in meat - it's that they don't eat enough fruit & veg.

 

[Debby]

Might be some health benefits for the person but not necessarily the environment.

https://www.thequint.com/environmen...ment-carbon-footprint-than-vegetarian-veggies

The problem with reliance on veggies is growing them on a large scale. It's even recommended that people buy locally off of smaller farms. And the volume of vegetables needed to replace what meat does is much greater. If one has a high protein intake the volume of veggies needed to replace a piece of meat is greater. Can't hurt to add or supplement with vegetables but replace diet with them is another story.

I don't know about the UK re: acreage used, but in the USA, about 700 million acres of land is exclusively used for animal products. Grazing and soy and corn growing for feed. By comparison, human vegetable/fruit/nuts are grown on about 3 million acres. Cut back on the meat and there's lots of room for plant products and considering that you get more plant protein per acre than from meat protein growth, there's lots of room to meet the needs of folks. People actually eat far too much protein these days although there is a pull back from the quantities consumed over the last 20+ years.

And keep in mind, every vegetable/fruit you eat also contains various levels of protein. I once read you could get all your protein needs met in a day by eating only blueberries but it would be some outrageous amount of berries like 160 cups or something. I like blueberries but that's a little much wouldn't you say?

 

[Debby]

I can't see the benefit of putting vegetarian meals in the same aisle as other meals. Surely it makes the choice for vegetarians easier if the choice is clearer. What I do think is that locally sourced seasonal vegetables need to be promoted more. It's not that people eat too much meat - there's a lot more than protein in meat - it's that they don't eat enough fruit & veg.

So that people will see it lying there and not have to go looking for an alternative because face it, we're slow to change and unlikely to walk to an aisle we don't usually frequent layful:. And yes, people do eat far more protein than they need. We overdo it and it's hard on the kidneys.

Here's an article that has a great little graph that shows how much adults need and how much the average American is eating and that would probably be pretty much in line with Canada and maybe the UK (not familiar with UK numbers, so making an assumption) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/13/too-much-protein-diets-_n_1772987.html

 

[Aunt Bea]

I don't know about the UK re: acreage used, but in the USA, about 700 million acres of land is exclusively used for animal products. Grazing and soy and corn growing for feed. By comparison, human vegetable/fruit/nuts are grown on about 3 million acres. Cut back on the meat and there's lots of room for plant products and considering that you get more plant protein per acre than from meat protein growth, there's lots of room to meet the needs of folks. People actually eat far too much protein these days although there is a pull back from the quantities consumed over the last 20+ years.

And keep in mind, every vegetable/fruit you eat also contains various levels of protein. I once read you could get all your protein needs met in a day by eating only blueberries but it would be some outrageous amount of berries like 160 cups or something. I like blueberries but that's a little much wouldn't you say?

Debby,

The United States has more than enough land to produce a plant based diet and still maintain the meat production. The odd thing is that we currently import as much as 70% of our fresh produce and 40% of our fresh fruits from other countries including Canada. I believe that this is due to the labor costs involved with producing these products within the United States. It is my hope that someday we can put cost aside and realize the importance of producing the majority of these things within the United States.

Charles de Gaulle - “A nation that cannot feed itself is not a great nation.”

George W. Bush - "It's important for our nation to build -- to grow foodstuffs, to feed our people. Can you imagine a country that was unable to grow enough food to feed the people? It would be a nation that would be subject to international pressure. It would be a nation at risk."

 

[Butterfly]

I read on the BBC news just a day or so ago that there is presently a shortage of vegetables in the UK because of bad weather in Spain, and that stores are actually rationing lettuces and a couple of other things. I believe that was in England.

 

[Wilberforce]

My husband refused to eat anything green for years then I put my foot down. I announced we had a new dining rule, 2 brussel sprouts got you 1 slice of lemon meringue pie, a serving of green beans was worth 1 serving of rhubarb crumble if you also ate I stalk of broccoli it got you ice cream for the pie.

I was really mean but his Dr said he needed the veggies so I did it.

Bless his heart he hated the brussells but he loved me and the lemon meringue and somehow we made it

 

[Capt Lightning]

All this talk of vegetable shortage in the UK is largely nonsense. I haven't seen much evidence of it here. Rationing lettuce etc... who wants to buy 3 iceberg lettuce? They're absolutely tasteless. Any shortages are down to the insistence of buying fruit and veg that is not in season, so has to be flown in half way across the world. People should get back to eating local, seasonal fruit & veg.

We grow as much of our own veg as possible and are given the surplus veg from our friend's market garden. We usually have so much veg that we can't use it all. We've tried to give it away, but veges aren't usually on the menu here!

 

[Ruthanne]

I just came across this interesting article in the Guardian about changes to how food is promoted and displayed at some grocery stores in the UK and starting with Sainsbury's.

Among other things, the plan is to put the veg'n alternatives beside the traditional choices (no more separate aisle), vouchers and loyalty points to those who chose the veg. options, and recipes and leaflets suggesting alternative menu's and dishes!

'British shoppers are to become the subject of an experiment aimed at making them eat their greens. In a bold move to rebalance the contents of supermarket trolleys, Oxford academics have teamed up with supermarket chiefs to persuade consumers to buy less meat.The project, in which Sainsbury’s is a key collaborator, is being funded as part of a £5m Wellcome Trust programme, Our Planet, our Health, which aims to improve human health in a world going through profound climatic change. Eating more vegetables and fruit and less red meat will benefit people’s health and the environment, say researchers.......The move to take specific steps to get people to eat more vegetarian food comes in the wake of a study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US last year, which concluded that eating less meat could reduce global mortality by 6-10% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30-70%. “The food system is responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, of which up to 80% are associated with livestock production,” say the authors, who were led by Oxford researcher Marco Springmann..'

View attachment 35372


https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...sles-more-veg-sainsburys-cut-meat-consumption

I had totally forgot about trying back to a vegetarian diet. Thanks for the reminder. I tend to eat too much fatty meat when I do and that's not good for a person. Plus I haven't been thinking more about the animals! I'm going to get into the rice and veggies meals. Thanks Debby.

 

[Capt Lightning]

I'm a confirmed omnivore, but I suspect I eat a lot more vegetables than most people in this area. There aren't many (if any) greengrocers around here. You either grow your own or buy vegetables from the supermarket or from a farm shop. (The nearest Sainsbury's is 40 miles away)
There are however plenty of butchers and fishmongers.

 

[WhatInThe]

Debby,

The United States has more than enough land to produce a plant based diet and still maintain the meat production. The odd thing is that we currently import as much as 70% of our fresh produce and 40% of our fresh fruits from other countries including Canada. I believe that this is due to the labor costs involved with producing these products within the United States. It is my hope that someday we can put cost aside and realize the importance of producing the majority of these things within the United States.

Charles de Gaulle - “A nation that cannot feed itself is not a great nation.”

George W. Bush - "It's important for our nation to build -- to grow foodstuffs, to feed our people. Can you imagine a country that was unable to grow enough food to feed the people? It would be a nation that would be subject to international pressure. It would be a nation at risk."

I think the USDA tries to over control the prices by paying farmers not to grow but yet the US has to import.

The problem with strict reliance and adherence to a vegetarian diet is there are factors like region, seasonality, drought, infestation etc. Sometimes it's easier to find one animal source of protein rather than care for a field or garden of crops overtime.

 

[Laurie]

Piece of damned nonsense.

I am a regular Sainsbury user (was in one today, bought a piece of lamb!) and I haven't noticed this.

If I want veg I buy veg, if I don't I won't, and the display will make no difference!

 

[Debby]

Debby,

The United States has more than enough land to produce a plant based diet and still maintain the meat production. The odd thing is that we currently import as much as 70% of our fresh produce and 40% of our fresh fruits from other countries including Canada. I believe that this is due to the labor costs involved with producing these products within the United States. It is my hope that someday we can put cost aside and realize the importance of producing the majority of these things within the United States.

Charles de Gaulle - “A nation that cannot feed itself is not a great nation.”

George W. Bush - "It's important for our nation to build -- to grow foodstuffs, to feed our people. Can you imagine a country that was unable to grow enough food to feed the people? It would be a nation that would be subject to international pressure. It would be a nation at risk."

I think the missing element in what you've said is that the health of people shows that the current methods of production aren't working. People eat more meat and dairy than is good for them (even if you did accept it as a practise) because generally speaking meat is cheaper than the more healthful plant products and solely because of the subsidies that the the animal agriculture industries get (for corn and soy production and low grazing fees on federal land) which vegetable farmers aren't getting.

And poor people are the ones who have worse health, eat more cheap junk including the really cheap meat and low quality dairy products, and are not the ones who are buying fruits and vegetables because they can't afford it. A couple apples that feed two people or a couple boxes of Kraft dinner that can fill up the 3 or four kids?

But you're right, a country should be able to feed itself. That's actually been one of the benefits that Russia has felt because of the sanctions against them. They've actually ramped up and improved their agriculture so that they are developing the ability to be self supporting food wise.

 

[Debby]

I had totally forgot about trying back to a vegetarian diet. Thanks for the reminder. I tend to eat too much fatty meat when I do and that's not good for a person. Plus I haven't been thinking more about the animals! I'm going to get into the rice and veggies meals. Thanks Debby.

Just out of habit, I think people have just gotten the idea that food without meat on the plate, is boring and tasteless. There's a bit of a learning curve to be sure, but hey, learning to use a new remote for the tv has a learning curve too and continual learning is going to help our brains stay healthy right!

Last night, I made a mushroom stroganoff that was fabulous. And by throwing in a cup of green peas and putting it over whole wheat noodles, great protein source! Could have also used the black bean or edamame noodles though too which would have upped the protein levels even more. And on the side I had celery sticks that were stuffed with a cashew/garlic cheese so more protein (little bit) and the benefit of the antibiotic effects of the raw garlic in the spread. Win, win, win !

I'd bought my first tub of Tofutti Sour Cream last time I went shopping for the potato/onion perigees that I had in the freezer and because the perogies were gone, needed to use that up and when I came across the stroganoff recipe decided to use that instead of the coconut milk it called for. My gosh that was good! The only thing I'd change is to use a fusilli noodle instead of the flat linguine noodles. Little easier to serve.

 

[Debby]

All this talk of vegetable shortage in the UK is largely nonsense. I haven't seen much evidence of it here. Rationing lettuce etc... who wants to buy 3 iceberg lettuce? They're absolutely tasteless. Any shortages are down to the insistence of buying fruit and veg that is not in season, so has to be flown in half way across the world. People should get back to eating local, seasonal fruit & veg.

We grow as much of our own veg as possible and are given the surplus veg from our friend's market garden. We usually have so much veg that we can't use it all. We've tried to give it away, but veges aren't usually on the menu here!

I believe it! I remember watching a couple shows with Jamie Oliver trying to introduce inner city kids (I guess Londoners?) to vegetables and I was amazed at the horror of the families and the lack of information they had! Imagine not knowing what a radish is or whether you can eat kohlrabi's or being put off by a plate of food that was the colours of the rainbow. I actually went through a supermarket cashier a couple years ago and she had to ask me what a bag of radishes were so it's not just inner city Londoners because I was living in a small city, surrounded by rural farms and such.

I usually don't buy the 'exotic' fruits or out of season things. I'm too cheap for thatlayful:.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I think the missing element in what you've said is that the health of people shows that the current methods of production aren't working. People eat more meat and dairy than is good for them (even if you did accept it as a practise) because generally speaking meat is cheaper than the more healthful plant products and solely because of the subsidies that the the animal agriculture industries get (for corn and soy production and low grazing fees on federal land) which vegetable farmers aren't getting.

And poor people are the ones who have worse health, eat more cheap junk including the really cheap meat and low quality dairy products, and are not the ones who are buying fruits and vegetables because they can't afford it. A couple apples that feed two people or a couple boxes of Kraft dinner that can fill up the 3 or four kids?

But you're right, a country should be able to feed itself. That's actually been one of the benefits that Russia has felt because of the sanctions against them. They've actually ramped up and improved their agriculture so that they are developing the ability to be self supporting food wise.

Debby,

I'm confident that I will always be missing at least one element, LOL!

All I was trying to point out is that the United States has enough land to produce a plant based diet and a meat based diet for the entire population. It seems like when you quote statistics the United States always serves as the bad example and maybe I'm a bit defensive. The United States and Canada are very close in size, based on total land mass while Canada has approx. 90% less people to feed. It seems to me that Canada might be the perfect country to champion a plant based diet to feed the world.

IMO people eat what they were fed as small children and income has very little to do with it. In my area the grocery stores are filled with beans, rice, fruits, vegetables, etc... that are priced at a far lower price per pound than many meats or processed dairy products. If you take a glimpse into the food baskets of the modern poor you will not see many of the products that I have mentioned. Most often you will see factory produced food that is heavy on sugar, corn syrup, salt, fat, enriched white flour and additives. We have raised a fast food generation that lives on pizza, burgers, fries, chips and soda. I really don't hold out much hope for a healthy plant based diet or a healthy meat based diet until parents take control of what they feed their kids, if that does happen it will take a couple of generations and millions of funerals to make a healthy change in our society.

In my own situation the main reason that I have reduced my consumption of meat is that I have lost confidence in the health and safety of the modern corporate meat supply. I could afford to switch to locally raised meats, eggs and dairy but like you I'm too cheap to pay the higher prices on a routine basis so I have gradually moved to a more plant based diet.

We each have our own beliefs and we each try to live what we believe is our own best life.

 

[RadishRose]

Aunt Bea said-

"In my area the grocery stores are filled with beans, rice, fruits, vegetables, etc... that are priced at a far lower price per pound than many meats or processed dairy products. If you take a glimpse into the food baskets of the modern poor you will not see many of the products that I have mentioned. Most often you will see factory produced food that is heavy on sugar, corn syrup, salt, fat, enriched white flour and additives. We have raised a fast food generation that lives on pizza, burgers, fries, chips and soda. I really don't hold out much hope for a healthy plant based diet or a healthy meat based diet until parents take control of what they feed their kids, if that does happen it will take a couple of generations and millions of funerals to make a healthy change in our society."

I agree with this, Aunt Bea!

 

[Capt Lightning]

Debby,

In my own situation the main reason that I have reduced my consumption of meat is that I have lost confidence in the health and safety of the modern corporate meat supply. I could afford to switch to locally raised meats, eggs and dairy but like you I'm too cheap to pay the higher prices on a routine basis so I have gradually moved to a more plant based diet.

For the past few years, along with our friends who own the market garden, we have been raising our own traditional breed pigs for top quality pork. We aren't having any pigs this year, but within the next week or so, the first batch of sheep will be off for the chop and we will have fresh lamb or hogget in the freezer. I haven't managed to get hold of a wild deer recently, but I still have some frozen venison. Beef is the only commercially produced beef that we buy, but a good butcher will know where the beef came from so we can check up on how the cows have been kept. All this doesn't come cheap, but it's the price we pay.

For those who advocate growing more vegetables, please consider that land and climate suitable for grazing is not necessarily suitable for vegetables.

 

[Debby]

Debby,

I'm confident that I will always be missing at least one element, LOL!

All I was trying to point out is that the United States has enough land to produce a plant based diet and a meat based diet for the entire population. It seems like when you quote statistics the United States always serves as the bad example and maybe I'm a bit defensive. The United States and Canada are very close in size, based on total land mass while Canada has approx. 90% less people to feed. It seems to me that Canada might be the perfect country to champion a plant based diet to feed the world.

IMO people eat what they were fed as small children and income has very little to do with it. In my area the grocery stores are filled with beans, rice, fruits, vegetables, etc... that are priced at a far lower price per pound than many meats or processed dairy products. If you take a glimpse into the food baskets of the modern poor you will not see many of the products that I have mentioned. Most often you will see factory produced food that is heavy on sugar, corn syrup, salt, fat, enriched white flour and additives. We have raised a fast food generation that lives on pizza, burgers, fries, chips and soda. I really don't hold out much hope for a healthy plant based diet or a healthy meat based diet until parents take control of what they feed their kids, if that does happen it will take a couple of generations and millions of funerals to make a healthy change in our society.

In my own situation the main reason that I have reduced my consumption of meat is that I have lost confidence in the health and safety of the modern corporate meat supply. I could afford to switch to locally raised meats, eggs and dairy but like you I'm too cheap to pay the higher prices on a routine basis so I have gradually moved to a more plant based diet.

We each have our own beliefs and we each try to live what we believe is our own best life.

No, it's not the bad example it's just the example that is available because your country keeps 'numbers' like nobody's business. We don't have the same kind of info available or researchers but whatever is going on in the States is pretty much the same as in Canada. And have no fear, the rates of plant/meat eating are pretty much the same here as in your country.

And you're right, people eat what they're fed when they're kids. But at the same time, you look at the average grocery cart in the checkout and it's not exactly bursting at the seams with produce and fruits. At least that's what I see when I'm at the supermarket. I'm quite amazed sometimes. Pound for pound, I'll bet the calories that the average person gets from veggies is less than what they get from meat.

You know years ago, my mom told me about an uncle of mine, about his bad year with calves. He raised black angus in Alberta and one year, he had a couple calves sicken and die and when he called the vet in, they did tests and so on but couldn't determine what had killed the calves. They were about half grown by then, but rather than 'lose' an entire years crop, he decided to send them to the slaughterhouse early. Now maybe they weren't sick like the ones that died, but what if they were and the symptoms just hadn't started? And my uncle is a wonderful and good man, but he also was a beef farmer with a years income tied up there......

As for moving towards more plant based food, as you can imagine, I'm thrilled and if I can ever help you figure something out, just ask. I'm not saying that I know everything, but I'd sure love to help if I could.

 

[Aunt Bea]

You know years ago, my mom told me about an uncle of mine, about his bad year with calves. He raised black angus in Alberta and one year, he had a couple calves sicken and die and when he called the vet in, they did tests and so on but couldn't determine what had killed the calves. They were about half grown by then, but rather than 'lose' an entire years crop, he decided to send them to the slaughterhouse early. Now maybe they weren't sick like the ones that died, but what if they were and the symptoms just hadn't started? And my uncle is a wonderful and good man, but he also was a beef farmer with a years income tied up there......

Those possibilities exist in the plant based world also. Unscrupulous people selling cantaloupes, peanut butter, etc... tainted with salmonella. It's a sad fact of life that where you find cheese you are likely to find rats.

Thanks for the offer of help, I'm usually ok if I plan ahead.

It's when I'm tired that I tend to revert back to my old habits or eat canned beans on toast, LOL!

 

[Ruthanne]

Just out of habit, I think people have just gotten the idea that food without meat on the plate, is boring and tasteless. There's a bit of a learning curve to be sure, but hey, learning to use a new remote for the tv has a learning curve too and continual learning is going to help our brains stay healthy right!

Last night, I made a mushroom stroganoff that was fabulous. And by throwing in a cup of green peas and putting it over whole wheat noodles, great protein source! Could have also used the black bean or edamame noodles though too which would have upped the protein levels even more. And on the side I had celery sticks that were stuffed with a cashew/garlic cheese so more protein (little bit) and the benefit of the antibiotic effects of the raw garlic in the spread. Win, win, win !

I'd bought my first tub of Tofutti Sour Cream last time I went shopping for the potato/onion perigees that I had in the freezer and because the perogies were gone, needed to use that up and when I came across the stroganoff recipe decided to use that instead of the coconut milk it called for. My gosh that was good! The only thing I'd change is to use a fusilli noodle instead of the flat linguine noodles. Little easier to serve.

You are very knowledgeable about interesting things to cook. That stroganoff sounds really good. I have to learn to measure out food so that I don't eat too much. I find that I tend to eat too much of things like noodles, rice and other pasta when I don't measure them for caloric value. Have you ever had any problem with your weight? I have for much of my life and it's a hard habit to break but I'm going to try again. I have a scale to measure the weight of food and also bought a calorie book that has just about everything in it.

From a young age I've been taught to think a meal isn't complete without meat. But I want to change that mindset of mine. How does a person change that mindset?

I am going to first start making some vegetarian meals again and cutting down on meat. It will be more economical for me, too, to do so.

 

[Debby]

Hi Ruthanne, The heaviest I got to years ago was about 150 pounds. I remember that morning with amazing claritylayful: and I remember taking everything out of my pockets, kicking off my shoes, anything to get the weight down before I stepped back on the scale! I do remember a period after that when I switched to just fruit for breakfast although I can't remember how long that lasted. But once we bought a couple horses (for our 'horsey' girls), I started working out with weights and one of those gym machines to stay strong in order to deal with such big animals and to keep my weight down because I didn't want to put stress on their backs if I rode. And over time I lost weight.

Now I pretty much don't seem to have any issues but then too, my eating habits have changed a lot so it's gotten pretty easy to maintain. What changed my mindset was videos of animals in slaughterhouses, on transport trucks and languishing in the care of people who don't care.

I guess too, my thoughts on food in general are equally balanced between it being something that I enjoy the taste of and it being the fuel that keeps me going. And the more that I've come to understand even something like how B12 for example, is absorbed by our bodies, the more amazed I am at the beauty and function of these 'machines' that we occupy! The way we secrete hormones in one part of the body so that a bacteria can be protected as it goes through the digestive tract and then another part emits an enzyme that frees up that bacteria so that it can attach to another hormone so that it can be absorbed through cell membranes and then continue on through the system! Well, we are walking miracles! Walking miracles deserve good fuel you know.

 

[Ruthanne]

Hi Ruthanne, The heaviest I got to years ago was about 150 pounds. I remember that morning with amazing claritylayful: and I remember taking everything out of my pockets, kicking off my shoes, anything to get the weight down before I stepped back on the scale! I do remember a period after that when I switched to just fruit for breakfast although I can't remember how long that lasted. But once we bought a couple horses (for our 'horsey' girls), I started working out with weights and one of those gym machines to stay strong in order to deal with such big animals and to keep my weight down because I didn't want to put stress on their backs if I rode. And over time I lost weight.

Now I pretty much don't seem to have any issues but then too, my eating habits have changed a lot so it's gotten pretty easy to maintain. What changed my mindset was videos of animals in slaughterhouses, on transport trucks and languishing in the care of people who don't care.

I guess too, my thoughts on food in general are equally balanced between it being something that I enjoy the taste of and it being the fuel that keeps me going. And the more that I've come to understand even something like how B12 for example, is absorbed by our bodies, the more amazed I am at the beauty and function of these 'machines' that we occupy! The way we secrete hormones in one part of the body so that a bacteria can be protected as it goes through the digestive tract and then another part emits an enzyme that frees up that bacteria so that it can attach to another hormone so that it can be absorbed through cell membranes and then continue on through the system! Well, we are walking miracles! Walking miracles deserve good fuel you know.

I have seen a lot of the videos of animals that you speak of. I had to stop watching them I got so depressed about what happens and very little being done to help them. You're right about us being walking miracles and I would say that for all of nature; it is beautiful and wondrous! I really need to start taking better care of myself. I'm not getting any younger and sometimes don't know that I wan't to live a long life the way this world is going. I do want to be around to care for my fur and featherbabies, though.

 

[Debby]

The longer I live like this and pay attention to my own health, the more amazed I am too at how we function! It's really quite marvellous isn't it? And I have many of the same thoughts that you've expressed here Ruthanne. Peas in a pod!

And just as a followup to the opening article, this link shows that more and more people in the UK are beginning to think the same way about all of this, to the point that the Pig Save vigils are giving the meat and dairy industry serious concerns. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...terrorism-vigils-animal-welfare-a7579251.html

'...According to latest estimates, 542,000 Brits are now vegans, up from 150,000 in 2006 – a 350 per cent increase in just over a decade. Official supermarket revenue statistics for 2016 showed the biggest losers were meat and dairy, while the biggest gains came for dairy-free products. Overall sales of plant-based products are up 1,500 per cent....Big food and hospitality brands, from Harvester and Wetherspoons to Pret A Manger and Sainsbury’s, are launching successful vegan ranges. Last month, Sainsbury’s reported that sales of its new own-brand vegan cheeses were 300 per cent greater than it had anticipated....'