My Wellness Counts Rating system:
GREEN HEARTS on a scale of 1 - 5
* GREEN because we all need
more green veggies in our life
* HEARTS because great health
begins with love
Rating Joanne Stepaniak’s Begin
Vegan: 5 / 5
Living with Conscience, Conviction
and Compassion
My journey through the experience of reading this gem of a
book actually began when I found the book initially. In beautiful little bookstore on Granville Island in
Vancouver, British Columbia, I found this used yet perfectly presented copy
sitting like a little gem on the shelf of an old-fashioned, family owned store,
Blackberry Books Ltd.
The store is enjoying its new location on Granville Island, yet
it has been owned by the same family since 1979 – a special place carrying a
special book; this was apparent right from the start. While the book sells on Amazon for $15.99, my price was a
mere $7.95 – a real bargain considering the wealth of information presented on
each page enclosed in its pristinely maintained cover.
Now, on to the book itself: if my rating scale were to
exceed 5
Green Hearts, this book would certainly tip the scales.
The book is divided into 4 Chapters:
Chapter 1: Vegan Philosophy: Putting Down Roots
Chapter 2: Relationships: Sowing Seeds of Compassion
Chapter 1: Vegan Philosophy: Putting Down Roots
Chapter 2: Relationships: Sowing Seeds of Compassion
Chapter 3: Ethical Practice: Coming to Our Senses
Chapter 4:Vegan Practice and Food: Feeding the Heart
Chapter 4:Vegan Practice and Food: Feeding the Heart
Becoming Vegan is clearly a guide for compassionate living
extolling the virtues of embracing a reverence for life. Each Chapter uniquely
sensitive and objective, yet strong and confident in defining Veganism both in
theory, practice and philosophy, answering many questions posed by both Vegans
and non-Vegans alike.
Some of the highlights I enjoyed, and I will quote directly from Ms. Stepaniak, are as follows:
Some of the highlights I enjoyed, and I will quote directly from Ms. Stepaniak, are as follows:
* People who
just have a plant-based diet are not vegans; they are total vegetarians. Until one’s commitment extends beyond the scope
of food, the word vegan does not apply . . . being vegan does not entail simply
what a person does or doesn’t eat –
it comprises who a person is.
* Reasons why meat should not be included in our diet are as follows:
* Reasons why meat should not be included in our diet are as follows:
~ we do not have a hinged jaw for ripping apart flesh, but
one that is able to grind sideways
~ we have a longer digestive system so we are better able to get nutrients from our foods, as opposed to the shorter tract that carvnivores have to enable them to pass meat through their body before it becomes rancid
~ the low levels of acidity in our stomachs are in stark contrast to the high levels in meat eaters
~ although we have incisors capable of tearing flesh, I have always thought that these were for cropping the harder vegetables
~ we do not have claws or talons for tearing flesh
~ the enzymes in our saliva that start breaking down food have a low acidity level related to a plant-based diet
~ we have a longer digestive system so we are better able to get nutrients from our foods, as opposed to the shorter tract that carvnivores have to enable them to pass meat through their body before it becomes rancid
~ the low levels of acidity in our stomachs are in stark contrast to the high levels in meat eaters
~ although we have incisors capable of tearing flesh, I have always thought that these were for cropping the harder vegetables
~ we do not have claws or talons for tearing flesh
~ the enzymes in our saliva that start breaking down food have a low acidity level related to a plant-based diet
* Animal
commodities merely serve the purpose of satiating human appetites at the
expense of animal welfare and freedom . . . promoting the continued enslavement
of animals for human desire.
* Fish are not plants.
* It takes guts to be unconventional. Vegans challenge ingrained cultural assumptions that most of us have accepted since childhood, so it can be disquieting and at times difficult to be vegan. At every turn we are inculcated with slick, seductive marketing campaigns disseminated by governmental agencies, food-animal producers, and fast-food chains that have deep-seated financial interests in promoting particular commodities and perpetuating the benevolent myths we have about them. Questioning our cultural traditions and habits takes guts. Not only do vegans have to deal with making numerous personal adjustments, they must also confront the cynicism and scorn of suspicious friends and family members and a doubting public that doesn’t want to be ruffled. It would be much easier to acquiesce to the status quo.
* No one should feel compelled to conceal her or his identity just because someone else is ill equipped to cope with it. Veganism is the sum of a person’s character. It is not a hat to be put on or taken off when it makes other people uncomfortable.
* It is illogical to think that since we can’t spend all our time helping other people, we should continue to abuse and slaughter animals.
* Knowledge can affect people only if their minds and hearts are open to it.
* The production of eggs and milk entails as much cruelty, if not more so, as the production of flesh foods, because the animals’ suffering is extended over a significantly longer period prior to their untimely and brutal slaughter.
* The atrocities perpetrated by humans against animals exceed all horrors that humans commit against themselves, both in kind and quantity. Animals have no recourse against us, no means of escape, and not way to fight back. They are vulnerable and completely at the mercy of our species.
* Vegans acknowledge that the life force within people is the same life energy abiding in all living beings.
