Vegan Rant

I find it as a vegan very irritating that others feel the need to criticize my diet. I get it that there is this stereotype of a "preachy" vegan that sets everyone on edge with their views telling non-veg heads that their diet is wrong etc etc. I am not one of those by any means. I feel that if my diet is something that interests you then you will be naturally curious and ask me about it. For me my choice of food is about my life and philosophies not just simply what I choose to eat. I come at it from a very Buddhist point of view in terms of wanting to be compassionate, gentle and non-harming. I also feel that I do not have the right to decide that anything else's life is any less important then my own. Each creature has it's own purpose and agenda and I do not have the right to treat that as a commodity. I also feel that there are a lot of great thinkers, revolutionaries, athletes, spiritualists and artists that are vegan and that is something worth emulating. I want to evolve and leave as small of an imprint on the earth's consciousness as possible. I want to be a friend to all those I encounter, a gentle soul.
But that is just me. My personal views which I in no way push onto others. I have a bible of factoids in my head that I can spew on a dime about why we should invest in a plant based diet but again nothing turns people off faster. I don't bother wasting my time or trying to convert people.

Having said all that I am human. And as such there are times when I am not strictly vegan. There I said it. For me meat wasn't an issue to give up. It was dairy. I am a bonafide coffee addict: double double ( 2 creams, 2 sugars for you non-Canadian readers, or Timmie's fans.) For years I rationalized not being able to give up real cream, substitutions all sucked. I tried them all. But finally I was able to first kick the sugar and then slowly the cream. To me the dairy industry is one of the worst; and I noticed that perhaps due to the hormones I hit this plateau with my weight; my curves got curvier and there wasn't a thing I could do about the bloating. And after a few  months of giving up cream-13 pounds came off. But I am getting off track.. I will on occasion indulge in a piece of cheesecake or a piece of salmon or tuna. X-mas time there may be turkey. Again this is so few and far between say maybe 5x a year that I choose to consume meat. I am anemic and went through a period where my hair was breaking and falling out- so I thought maybe I should try animal protein. Now I simply know it is time to vary my diet and I haven't had that problem for a long time. But the point of this confession is the fact that I love how meat eaters feel the need to point out my lack of veganism at these times. Like I don't harp on a carnivore for the time they choose to eat a salad and tell them they are a bad hypocritical meat eater. Like for some reason this constitutes a failure of some sort. Never mind that the other 360 days a year I uphold my beliefs or diet. I once read this book by raw foodists saying that once you choose to go with a plant based diet you will notice that an invisible line will be drawn between you and carnivores. And there will be aggression towards you for your choices. Truth be told I have noticed this time and time again. As soon as I say I don't eat meat people's backs get stiff and they either feel the need to state well I ain't gonna become a vegetarian-it's not going to happen without me so much as bringing up idea at all. Or people justifying not being able to give up or survive without their protein or asking me stupid questions like how do I get my protein.

I really just wish people would just stop making such a big deal about the whole thing..

 

Something so small can make a huge difference

To the life and welfare of the creatures around us that we take no notice of. Random acts of kindness.

North American Hemp Co.

I was looking for a new lotion to soothe my suddenly extremely dry  winter skin. Having moved from a damp climate to a dry one my skin suddenly went haywire and became very dry and flaky. My requirements where natural ingredients, paraben free,animal ingredient and cruelty free. I came upon the North American Hemp co. at the drug store and decided that since my skin was so dry it could probably use the wonderful properties of hemp. I purchased Hemp Holy Grail unscented body lotion at $9.99 for 342ml.
The body lotion is nice and thick with a pleasant slightly nutty aroma. I use it everywhere- on my body and my face and have noticed that since I have used it my dry scaly skin is no more, yet there is no greasy residue afterwards.

In case you are unfamiliar with hemp's wonderful properties it contains loads of Omega 3,6 & 9 oils which makes it wonderful for skin dryness and elasticity. A little goes a long way so this lotion will last you forever- ok maybe not that long but a few months for sure. I use it everyday right out of the shower from tip to toes.

The North American Hemp co. is based out of Ontario, Canada which also fits my criteria of trying to purchase Canadian made products. They make a whole range of hair and skin care products from body lotion, face cream, hair serum and styling products. Each contains certified organic hemp seed oil.  For whatever your needs there is a product out there for you.  You can also visit their web site and find some fun facts about hemp's history and skin benefits.

http://www.northamericanhempco.com/home.html

Organic Hair Colour and Care

I recently relocated to a very small town in Alberta- pop.3000. Needless to say that can sometime make it quite difficult to find products that are vegan so imagine my immense pleasure when a local salon opened that is all organic and vegan! I mean everything- all hair dyes and styling products are vegetable based with no chemicals and completely cruelty free. Their bottles are also made of an organic biodegradable plastic that contains tree seeds so that when disposed of creates a fertilizer for tree
growth. How cool is that?

The hair care line the owner uses is simply called Organic Systems. They make hair colours, perms, straighteners and hair care products. They are ammonia free, certified organic and PETA certified
 vegan and cruelty free.http://www.organicsalonsystems.com/

Vegan Etsy!

If anyone out there hasn't discovered this hand made market place they should hop on over right now for some very unique hand made goods and killer finds. http://www.etsy.com/?ref=si_home

As I have mentioned before in previous posts you can find all sorts of up and coming indie designers on a budget. It is a great place to find clothing and accessories made in eco friendly materials like bamboo, hemp, soy, organic cotton and upcycled reclaimed clothing..

Here are some of my pics for items that are good for the earth yet don't make you look like one of those "crunchy granola types" as I know some women do not want to look like what a "vegan" or eco friendly person stereotypically looks like..

The Love Root tshirt by Thelotusroot. Hand screened water based ink on an organic cotton and bamboo tshirt. $28.00

100%Hemp bag lined with 100% organic cotton with poppies made by Uzura $58.00

The Black & White Paisley Leggings are made with eco friendly modal knit. Made by FineThreadz $26.00

This dress is made from ridiculously soft Organic or Eco jersey fabrics (see colour chart below). Upcycled twill fabric make up the "suspenders" that cross in the back and have upcycled large Buttons in the front! Made by Alterecoclothing $70.00

Rock Star Zipper Ankle Boots w/ gold studs and spikes. Black vegan leather with a 5" wedge heel. Each pair is custom made to order by JennyFallsDown. $115

Yummy Vegan Men.

To me a man was always the concept of a protector. I found this video about a group of men who are vegan and out to dispel the myth about what a vegan body looks like. All of these men work out -outdoors without the use of a gym and only consume plant protein. Their athleticism is amazing and ohhhh the muscles. definitely worth the 6 minutes to watch the video.  http://youtu.be/hZv0milS6hE

Dark Sexy Vegan t's and Prints.

Finally! Something dark and sexy and with a message that isn't some beer slogan. I love this designer's artwork for these Vegan t-shirts! The artist creating the designs is named Rolland Straller. He sells prints on Deviant art and also on t-shirts at the link below.

Check the link!!http://www.roland-straller.com/en/projekte/31/shirt-designs-a-lesson-in-compassion---enjoy-the-vegan-revolution.html

Some of these would make awesome tattoos if you ask me.

Mainstream Vegan Beauty Products.

I was doing some research trying to find other companies that are out there and readily available for the gal that likes to get her stuff exclusively from a drug store or maybe a discount department store. So here I have found a list of cruelty and animal free beauty companies that are affordable and readily stocked at most drug stores,Walmarts, Zellers, Zehrs, Giant Tigers and surplus stores. Now that you have a list of alternatives perhaps it will make the trip down the beauty isle not so confusing.

~E.L.F ( eyes, lips, face): I always see gift sets of this make-up line being sold for around the $6 range for a package of 3-6 items, and I never knew it was vegan!
http://www.eyeslipsface.com/

~Freeman Beauty. They are known for their individual travel face mask pouches- you know the ones with the avocado or strawberries on the picture. Their products come in large tubes and are sold in Shopper's Drug Marts and I have even found their shampoos at Dollarama. Now it doesn't get more budget friendly then that for the veganista.

~Hard Candy. Not all of their products are vegan, but if you go to their web site they have a listing of which items are specifically vegan. These products I have mostly found at Walmart.
http://www.hardcandy.com/updates.php?id=4

~Physicians  Formula;  They have a wide range of cosmetics to choose from including eyeshadow pallets consisting of 17 colours specifically designed to highlight the colour of your eyes. They also have refillable compacts made from bamboo. The organic wear line is free of cosmetic chemicals, and nasty parabens and preservatives.
http://www.physiciansformula.com/en-ca/staticpage/organic-wear.html

~Mitchum Deodorant

And for the salon brands opt for these companies:

~Abba- 100% vegan, free of sulfates and synthetic dyes.

~Derm Organic: 100% vegan, free of preservatives ( parabens) and dyes and sulfates

I hope that helps some of you out there make informed decisions without the guess work.

New Magazine I'm Loving

I just discovered this awesome eco-aware magazine yesterday during a much needed de-stressing trip to my fave book store: chapters.
The Magazine is called Boho and it features reviews on all things eco-conscious and sustainable from upcycling artists to haute couture and reclaimed items being made into furniture, and lots of beauty and food reviews. It's of course printed on recycled paper- no glossy pages here. It's totally cute and worth the $5.99 Canadian.

http://www.bohomag.com/

Buyer beware

I just read about this on a web site. L'oreal just bought up Pureology. L'oreal is known for testing on animals so there is no guarantee that this line will remain vegan and cruelty free. I just emailed them to ask them about the animal testing, we shall see if they reply. But again Pureology is known for being a high end line with a hefty price tag. Here it retails for about $30/bottle and with so many other guaranteed vegan lines that are just as good- ex..ABBA ( also a salon vegan line that is half the price), why take the risk.

http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/05/16/another-one-bites-the-dust-loreal-buys-pureology/

New Inspirations.

I am no stranger to blogs, having kept a livejournal for several years now, but I felt that I needed something new, a place where I can store and share my ideas on specific areas of life particularly being a vegan and the lifestyle that it encompasses. I wanted to meet people who share the same ideals as myself and that could inspire me to not give in to apathy, which I admit I have been prone to at times.

Recently, I just read the cutest book called the Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by: Melisser Elliot. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Vegan-Girls-Guide-Life-Cruelty-Melisser-Elliott/9781616080921-item.html?ikwid=vegan+girls+guide+to+life&ikwsec=Home

It is totally the cutest book on a lifestyle choice that I have read in a long time. My only complaint about such books is this: firstly I am Canadian and the majority of the companies mentioned are American. There are so many lovely and affordable vegan companies out there that get skipped over. So I want to mention them here in the event that I ever have fellow readers. Also I find that it is wonderful that there are vegan designers out there and I agree that they should be able to make a good living promoting something so wonderful. But having said that I sometimes think that some companies that charge so much for haute couture could scare away people considering a potential lifestyle change. It makes something seem unattainable for those that don't have $600 extra to spend on an animal free winter coat. To me it can reduce an ideal to something that is simply a trend. And I am not just talking about clothing. There are types of food that people buy into needing that are pricey and again it makes this particular lifestyle come across as being too pricey and therefore gives people the excuse they need to slough it off as simply some new fad.

Being a vegan doesn't need to be expensive nor do we all need to look like "hippy crunchy" types either.  So this is my rant and my inspiration. Bringing the best of my knowledge of bargain hunting, cooking, and my 10 years of experience in the cosmetology beauty industry to other penny pinching vegan's out there.