Arkansas Vegan: An online community and information source for vegans and vegetarians in Arkansas.
Vegan Lifestyle:
making choices for health, animals, and the environment.
Shoes, Baby!
Just because we're vegan doesn't mean we suddenly stop our lifelong quest for the perfect pair of shoes! It just means they're non-leather, which makes the search tougher - and finding them all the sweeter! There are some great places online to shop for shoes, two of our favorites are
Moo Shoes and Pangea. Moo Shoes have the undisputed greatest selection out there. If you want it and it's being made in non leather right now Moo Shoes is the place you are most likely to find it! Pangea is a great shop for all sorts of wonderful vegan stuff. Bet you'll be hooked on both of these great sites!
Moo Shoes and Pangea. Moo Shoes have the undisputed greatest selection out there. If you want it and it's being made in non leather right now Moo Shoes is the place you are most likely to find it! Pangea is a great shop for all sorts of wonderful vegan stuff. Bet you'll be hooked on both of these great sites!
Local sources? Hmmm... Payless and Target both occasionally have non-leather shoes. You can go for months and find nothing, then suddenly hit paydirt when they stock a new style, Get them while you can; they don't tend to stock large numbers of the non-leather shoes so when they're gone, they're gone!
Where do you get your non-leather shoes? Help spread the word!
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture Online
This amazing project has taken years of hard work by a lot of very dedicated people. It just went live recently and the amount of information is staggering. Our first visit to this site was just like visiting a new neighborhood and finding the most amazing used music and book store on earth... you could browse for hours. Get a coffee, a comfortable chair, and click here to visit the site.
Great News For Ducks And Deer
...and many other animals: did you hear recently that hunting is declining in Arkansas? And nationwide? Stephens Media reported "Hunting is declining in Arkansas, according to statistics from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Not many onlookers are surprised. This is a trend nationwide, and the downturn is later getting to Arkansas." The article goes on to say that the deline in hunting is softer here than in other states, but if Arkansas is indeed late following a national trend then steeper drops in the number of hunters may follow. You can read the article here...
Vegan Kids Camp
Having a hard time sending the kids to a camp that truly understands their diet? We found a cool story in several papers about Kids Make A Difference Camp in the Los Angeles area. The camp is entirely vegan and has been running for twelve years - it's not some new start-up. Here's their story in the St Cloud Times. It's great to see a vegan camp option available to us!
Eating Junk Food Impacts Ability To Learn
We all know that nearly 38 per cent of Arkansas kids are overweight. Governor Huckabee is bringing attention to this problem and we hope to see Arkansans get more fit (as vegans you and I are a big part of influencing healthy eating habits!). Here's an article that implies another reason besides our physical health to avoid junk food: our very intelligence. The Khaleej Times of Saudi Arabia reports findings from the Saudi Ministry of Health indicating that the academic performance of students deteriorates as junk food consumtion increases. It makes sense: eating smart helps you be smart. The full article is here...
The article points out a factor that Saudis and Arkansans have in common: eating habits handed down by our parents aren't always the healthiest ones. That means that outside influence or direction is often necessary to create positive change. Just think: our parents didn't know about the heart-clogging cholesterol associated with many foods for example, and lovingly prepared big bacon and egg breakfasts for us - not realizing the impact that was truly having on our bodies. It's important to note that this wasn't bad or mean of your parents - they were trying to be nurturing and were doing what they thought was right. Remember, as recently as the 60's doctors were used to advertise cigarettes on television! The point is that kids today trying to go vegetarian or vegan often have a tough time at home - mom and dad may not understand
High Fashion Vegans
While we're on the subject of
shoes, check out what UK vegan Natalie Dean did! Natalie was frustrated by the lack of
fashionable non-leather shoes so started her own business. She went online selling them in February; and her shoes are so high-fashion that they have already been included with other designers' collections and have are being used in movies! You can read a quick business profile here, and here's a link to her site called Beyond Skin.
shoes, check out what UK vegan Natalie Dean did! Natalie was frustrated by the lack of
fashionable non-leather shoes so started her own business. She went online selling them in February; and her shoes are so high-fashion that they have already been included with other designers' collections and have are being used in movies! You can read a quick business profile here, and here's a link to her site called Beyond Skin.
Veganism Helps Keep Weight Off
The governor stresses the need to address the obesity issue; let's help him out. An article in China Daily says "If you want to keep the weight down, switch to a meat-free diet, scientists said on Tuesday. Researchers who studied the eating habits of 22,000 people over five years, including meat eaters and vegetarians, found they all put on a few kilos but meat eaters who changed to a vegetarian or vegan diet gained the least."
You can read the article here.
You can read the article here.
Ozarks Living
Where you hang your hat says a lot about you. Some will tell you it says a lot about our society as a whole too. Check out this interesting story called Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks.
Vegetarian and Vegan Kids
The junk food article posted previously points out a factor that Saudis and Arkansans have in common: eating habits handed down by our parents aren't always the healthiest ones. That means that influence from outside the home is often necessary to create positive change. Just imagine: our parents didn't know about the heart-clogging cholesterol associated with many foods for example, and lovingly prepared big bacon and egg breakfasts for us - not realizing the impact that was truly having on our bodies. It's important to note that this wasn't bad or mean of our parents - they were trying to be nurturing and were doing what they thought was right for us. Remember, as recently as the 60's doctors were used to advertise cigarettes on television! The point is that kids today trying to go vegetarian or vegan often have a tough time at home - mom and dad may not understand why what they're putting on the table "isn't good enough." Kids, if you want some back-up it's a good idea to have some literature from a medical organization that explains the benefits. Here's a great example: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a vegetarian starter kit that can be read online and (this is important) downloaded as a PDF (Acrobat file) and printed - so you have a hard copy for mom and dad. Here's the link.
Remember - by making this change you are also asking them to change, at least their shopping and cooking habits, and some people don't accept change easily. A great was to help this along is to offer to cook to the family a "heart-healthy" meal one night a week. That will probably excite your mom because it will give her a night off! Folks may not even notice much of a difference when they get mashed potatoes made with rice milk and vegan margarine rather than cows milk and butter! You can usually make vegan versions of a lot of your non-vegan favorites just by substituting one or two ingredients, and there are lots of vegan recipes online!
Did your parents understand your decision to go vegan? Share your story!
Mary C. Smith Essay
Interesting to read this essay by Mary C. Smith she wrote in 2004 called Dream Within A Dream. Her story beings "Arkansas is not exactly the most progressive area in the country and with that in mind, I am writing about the plight of one vegan from the state that brought you Tyson Foods, the world's largest producer of chicken and beef, and the second largest producer of pork. Arkansas, tragically, also has one of the highest rates of Type II diabetes, onset from obesity, in the nation. From the horrors of large scale factory farming and the sadness of obesity related illnesses, I begin my case." You can read her essay here...
Peter Singer Interview
Peter Singer has been both an inspiration to millions and a thorn in the side to others. His opinions are almost sure to almost sure to raise emotion, one way or the other. A recent story can be found here.
Vive Le Banana French Toast!
2 medium bananas
2/3 cup soymilk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 slices bread
Blend bananas, soymilk, maple syrup, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side. Transfer carefully to a skillet, which has been oiled or sprayed with a nonstick vegetable spray. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook second side until browned. Serve with fresh fruit, fruit preserves, or maple syrup.
