Food For Thought: The Joys And Benefits Of Living Vegan

At Animal Pharm, an anomaly is born. Whether a piglet with the hands and feet of a human baby or a human baby with the head and tail of a piglet, Ziggy only wants to find what we all seek. It is my pleasure to read this moving tale by the talented Shad Clark. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Cow's milk contains calcium because cows eat grass. Calcium is a mineral that comes from the ground, which means, like grass, all green leafy vegetables are teeming with this nutrient. Let's explore the rationale behind human adults drinking another animal's milk when we don't even drink our own species' milk into adulthood. Perhaps all the calves are laughing at us, for even they stop drinking their own mothers' milk when they become adults. In other words, I think we have a lot to learn from the cows. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

When we closely examine the traditions of such holidays as Thanksgiving and Halloween, we see that we can honor their deeper meanings while still honoring our ethics and our values. Much of what informs our consciousness about these holidays is myth, which is fine. It’s fine to use myth to create rituals and traditions, but the point I make in this episode is that we pick and choose our cultural and personal traditions all the time, and these choices don't necessarily reflect some historical fact. I also spend a great deal of time talking about how vegan children can partake in all the fun of Halloween without being deprived. Finally, I offer some suggestions for using Halloween as an opportunity for advocacy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

What if I had my own hens and ate her eggs? What if I had my own cow or goat and drank her milk? What about honey? Is it considered "vegan"? These are some of the questions people ask as they begin to consider the ethical issues of consuming animal products. Though I don't pretend to have the one definitive answer, I am happy to share my thoughts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

With a penchant for romanticizing their consumption of animals, many people declare that they "pray over meat" or "weep over the animals who sacrifice themselves for us - just like the Native Americans." Not only does this attempt to assuage our discomfort make no difference to the animals we kill (for naught), I wonder: who's praying for the animals who are still alive? Who's weeping for those who need our help? And if it's so compassionate to pray over an animal while we slit her throat, isn't it even MORE compassionate to pray over an animal and NOT slit her throat? Join me as I explore what's really underneath this third-rail issue and as I suggest that it is not only insulting to the animals but to the Native Americans themselves. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Though I love talking about all things vegetarian with like-minded friends, my favorite people to engage with are strangers, whether on land or in the air (on planes). The more time we invest in conversations about vegetarianism and animal rights, the better advocates we will be and the more seeds we will plant. Despite the common assertion that "people don't want to talk about these issues," I actually experience quite the opposite. Join me today as I talk about some recent encounters with strangers on planes (the good and the bad) and how I responded to some frequently asked questions about animal rights and vegetarianism, particularly those that relate to religion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

With his keen understanding of human behavior, Benjamin Franklin once remarked: "So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every thing one has a mind to do." We tend to be quite adept at finding ways to justify our behavior, especially when it is either unnecessary or ethically questionable. When it comes to eating animals, we don't only justify it on the grounds that it benefits US; we actually have the nerve to justify it on the grounds that it actually benefits the animals. Focusing on a few of these common assertions ("cows need to be milked or they'll fall ill," "we give animals life," and "dying by our hands is better than dying by the hands of violent predators."), I offer my own perspective in response. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Calorie for calorie, dark green leafy vegetables are perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. There are over one thousand species of plants with edible leaves, including Arugula, Beet Greens, Bok Choy, Brussels Sprouts, Collard greens, Cabbage, Chard, Chicory, Dandelion Greens, Endive, Escarole, Iceberg Lettuce, Kale, Kohlrabi, Mustard Greens, Purslane, Romaine, Sorrel, Spinach, Tatsoi, Turnip Greens, Watercress – and so many others. Join me as I talk about seven of these green leafies - their history, their etymology, how to store and wash them, how to cook them, and how to make them delicious so that you'll get them in your body - any which way. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Just as humans need the nutrients from plants to thrive and grow, so do the plants need the nutrients from the soil - such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, calcium, iron, and magnanese. In this much-requested episode, learn how organic matter from plants (i.e. compost) enriches the soil, how animal slaughterhouse waste is unnecessary to create a healthy and abundant garden, and how to create harmony with all the creatures in your garden - even the snails! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

In today's episode, I read an excerpt from a very special book called The World Peace Diet, written by Will Tuttle. Will is one of these amazing people who uses his compassion and wisdom in order to create the world we all envision - a world of peace and kindness and nonviolence and high consciousness. The excerpt I read provides an appropriate segue to talk briefly about the USDA's "Animal Damage Control" program (now euphemistically called (Wildlife Services) which kills millions of wild animals every year on behalf of cattle, sheep, and other "livestock" ranchers. Just one more reason that animal consumption and "environmentalism" cannot co-exist. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

In Part I of this topic, I talked about the importance of perceiving non-vegetarians as "blocked vegetarians" to help us cope in "mixed relationships." And of course the relationships to which I’m referring are not just romantic. Mixed relationships include those between friends, co-workers, family members, and most certainly between parents and children. In this episode, Part II, I want to offer some very specific suggestions for effectively coping with a non-vegetarian partner, family member, or friend. It's all about the art of finding the balance line between speaking your truth and remaining humble. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Though I lament the fact that so many people look for easy solutions to their health problems and think that the answer lies in a pharmaceuticals, I also worry that people look to vitamin and mineral supplements as a shortcut to health. Though supplements may be essential when there is a true deficiency or need, they can be unnecessary at best or detrimental at worst when we use them as a substitute for a healthful diet. Join me as I talk about the safety - or lack thereof - of antioxidant supplements, (namely beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, and zinc); about whether or not we need to supplement such things as iron, folic acid, calcium, vitamin D, and DHA; and about the best multivitamin to take, assuming, of course, that it is necessary to take a multivitamin. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Best known for his novels, such as The Picture of Dorian Gray; his plays, such as "The Importance of Being Earnest," "An Ideal Husband," and "Salome"; his poetry, such as "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"; and his 50,000-word letter, called "De Profundis," Oscar Wilde is not widely acclaimed for his children's stories. Sweet, didactic, and full of imagery, his children's stories were compiled in The Happy Prince and Other Talesand published in 1888. He created them as bedtime stories for his two sons, and though they do not reflect the wit and acumen of the brilliant writer, they do reflect his desire to teach the value of having a selfless heart. "The Happy Prince" is a lovely little story about selfless prince and a selfless bird: a little swallow who sacrifices himself to save others. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

In celebration of the two-year anniversary of our podcast, I feature the letters of listeners who have been informed and inspired by "Food for Thought." The stories are as diverse as the listeners and reflect varied ages and backgrounds, but they all share common threads of hope and transformation. I hope you are as moved by the letters as I am humbled by them. If you ever once thought that "people don't change," then you're in for a surprise and a treat. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

My main criteria for my "favorite foods" are things that I consume practically every day and love to prepare, and though my list may seem pedestrian, one thing I've discovered in the many years I’ve been doing this work is that even the most basic foods are still foreign to people. So, today I talk - at length! - about these five favorites. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

"Can you eat this?" "Are you allowed to eat that?" Can you eat bread?" These are some of the common questions non-vegetarians ask vegans, and here's the short answer: We can eat whatever we want. We're "allowed" to have whatever we want. Nobody’s stopping us. It’s not illegal. We don’t follow a set of dietary laws, and we are technically quite capable. It’s not a matter of not being "able to," it’s not a matter of "can" and "cannot." It’s a matter of not WANTING to. Being vegan is not about restriction. Or limitation. Or rules. Or doctrine. We're not forbidden to eat animals. we don’t WANT to eat animals. It's a choice - and a powerful choice that has the potential to heal the entire planet. Yes, I said it. Join me today as I define what it means to be vegan and why we should be thankful to the late Donald Watson for coining the word "vegan" and sparing us the title of "vitan," "benevore," or "sanivore." (And for the record, we eat bread.) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other

Today's story demonstrates the lengths to which people will go to protect the ones they love. In her stories and plays, Susan Glaspell (1876-1948), bestselling novelist and Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, created many sympathetic characters who make principled stands. And that is why I chose this story for today's narrative; it is about a little boy named Stubby who takes a very principled stand to protect his dog, Hero. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Vegetarians learn pretty quickly that when they "come out" - when they declare their vegetarianism publicly - they become the recipient of some statements or questions that are, let’s say, not very well thought out, such as "If everyone went vegetarian, the world would be overrun with farm animals!" or "Don't you care about plants? They have feelings, too!" or "So you're vegetarian? Do you eat fish?" In the spirit of effective advocacy and good communication, I offer some strategies for responding and some coping skills for staying sane when confronted with the same jokes and retorts again and again again ... and again. Sometimes it's helpful to clarify things by first asking: "Are you serious?" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Though in many ways we admire so much about chickens (the maternal instinct of mother hens, the irresistible "cuteness" of baby chicks, the iridescent plumage of rooters), unfortunately our admiration doesn't translate into kindness towards them. Chickens born, kept, and killed for their flesh and for their eggs may very well be the most abused animals on the planet. Of the over 10 billion animals killed for human consumption in the U.S. every year, over 9.4 billion of these animals are chickens, including those killed once their "egg production" drops. This mass slaughter affects not only the victims themselves but those who are paid to do this difficult and bloody work. Please join me as I explore the effects of eating "only white meat." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe

Joanna Lucas is a gifted and beautiful writer who devotes much of her time and talent to the Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary in Colorado (www.peacefulprairie.org). Joanna knows all the animals at the sanctuary intimately and writes about them on the Peaceful Prairie blog. In today's episode, I read Joanna's essay called Portrait of Marcie... A Beautiful Soul. Marcie, and so many animals who have no reason to ever trust a human again, has much to teach us about forgiveness. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com/subscribe