“On average, most people consume between 100 - 120 grams of protein per day. Not only is that unhealthy, it's extremely dangerous, as the majority of the protein consumed is animal based.” PeopleAnimalDangerousMajorityAverageConsumedUnhealthyProtein Author:Sharon Gannon
“It's important to understand that calcium isn't just about what you eat; it's also about what you keep. Acidic animal products mine minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium from our bodies. In fact, the countries that consume the most dairy have the highest rates of hip fracture and osteoporosis.” ImportantCountryFactsBodyAnimalMinesProductsHighestRateHipsMineralsDairyFractureCalciumOsteoporosisMagnesiumPotassium Author:Sharon Gannon
“Yes, all of life is sacred, including plants; and yes, there is research that demonstrates that plants have feelings - they feel it when their leaves or stems are ripped - and there is scientific evidence that while plants do not have brains and nervous systems like animals, they nevertheless actively work to ensure their survival - they want to live, thrive, reproduce, evolve.” WantFeelsFeelingsLife IsAnimalBrainSurvivalResearchEvidenceSacredPlantIncludingNervousEvolveThriveNeverthelessStemRippedNervous SystemScientific Evidence Author:Sharon Gannon
“As humans, we do get to choose what we eat, and when we choose to eat a plant, we are eating (i.e., harming) just that plant, plus indirectly whatever nutrients that plant consumed over its lifetime (and we are also harming whatever beings may have been living on that plant or who were injured or killed in the harvesting process). But when we eat an animal, we are eating not just that animal, but also indirectly all of the plants and other beings that that animal ate over its lifetime - those plants became the flesh that we eat.” HumansMayHas BeensProcessAnimalEatingPlantLifetimeFleshOver ItPlusConsumedInjuredLiving OnNutrients Author:Sharon Gannon
“Eating vegetables, fruits and grains rarely causes total destruction of the plant or tree on which the food grew; after harvesting, seeds remain to be replanted the next season. But this certainly does not happen when an animal is slaughtered - death is final; that animal will not reproduce again!” DoeHappensNextCausesAnimalTreeGrewEatingDestructionSeasonsPlantFruitFinalsSeedsVegetablesGrain Author:Sharon Gannon
“Most of the food crops raised in the world today are fed to livestock destined for slaughter for us to eat, and most of the water used is used to raise the food crops that are fed to those animals. It has been estimated that, because of the extraordinary amount of grain it takes to raise food animals, if we reduced the amount of meat we eat by only ten percent, that would free up enough grain to feed all the starving humans in the world. So when we choose to eat meat instead of vegetables, we are choosing to take food away from others who are hungry.” IfsWorldHumansHas BeensEnoughTodayUsedWaterAnimalAmountTenPercentRaisesRaisedExtraordinaryHungryMeatFedsVegetablesGrainDestinedStarvingCropsWorld TodaySlaughterLivestock Author:Sharon Gannon
“Raising crops to feed animals for human consumption requires a lot of land. It takes eight or nine cows a year to feed one average meat eater; each cow eats one acre of green plants, soybeans and corn per year; so it takes eight or nine acres of plants a year to feed one meat eater, compared with only half an acre to feed one vegetarian.” YearsHumansAnimalHalfLandGreenPlantAverageEightNineMeatVegetarianCowsConsumptionCornCropsAcresSoybeansGreen Plants Author:Sharon Gannon
“Most of the plants grown to be fed to farm animals are heavily saturated with pesticides and herbicides and have been genetically modified, all of which contributes to the pollution and destruction of our environment, which harms us all.” Has BeensAnimalEnvironmentDestructionPlantHarmFedsFarmsPollutionOur EnvironmentSaturatedPesticidesGenetically ModifiedHerbicides Author:Sharon Gannon
“If we want to consider the sanctity of life in deciding what to eat, the choice is clear. Eating a plant based diet causes less harm, to ourselves, to the other animals, to the planet.” IfsWantChoicesCausesAnimalClearPlanetsEatingPlantHarmDietsSanctityPlant Based DietSanctity Of Life Author:Sharon Gannon
“Because we lack sharp claws, aren't very fast on our feet, and aren't exactly endowed with lightning reflexes, it would be very difficult if not impossible for us to run down an animal, catch it with our bare hands, and tear through its fur and skin in order to eat it. Biologically, we are designed to be frugivorous herbivores eating mainly fruits, seeds, roots, and leaves.” IfsHandsWould BeRunningOrderDifficultAnimalImpossibleFeetTearsEatingRootsSkinsFruitSeedsLightningFurClawsReflexes Author:Sharon Gannon
“We have been conditioned, taught, and coerced by the agents of our culture (parents, grandparents, advertisers, food critic, etc.) to eat the flesh and drink the milk of other animals. Because of this conditioning, which has occurred over a long period of time (thousands of years), we have developed addictive eating habits and blinded ourselves to the facts of our biological system and its true needs.” NeedsYearsLongHas BeensFactsCultureParentAnimalTaughtHabitPeriodsDrinkEatingCriticsFleshAgentsEtcMilkGrandparentConditioningBlindedLong Periods Of TimeAdvertisersEating Habits Author:Sharon Gannon
“The number of human deaths due to hardening of the arteries and other similar diseases suggests that human beings were not meant to eat animals; our bodies are unable to digest the animal fat effectively and it ends up stored in our blood vessels, not to mention our waist lines, buttocks and thighs!” HumansEndsBodyLinesHuman BeingsAnimalNumbersBloodDiseaseDuesFatsVesselThighsArteriesButtocksBlood Vessels Author:Sharon Gannon
“Arctic-dwelling Eskimos have no choice but to eat large amounts of meat and animal fat. But let's get our facts straight: according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Eskimos also have the highest incidences of heart disease and osteoporosis in the world and, in general, short life spans. Perhaps that is something to consider when we are faced with the choice of what to eat for dinner and unlike Eskimos most of us do have choices.” WorldHeartFactsChoicesAnimalAmountDiseaseHighestDinnerFatsMeatNutritionJournalDwellingShort LifeArcticHeart DiseaseClinicalsLife SpanIncidenceOsteoporosis Author:Sharon Gannon
“In fact, we would know ourselves that we are not meant to be meat eaters, and we would not have allowed ourselves to become conditioned to meat eating in the first place, if the effects of meat eating were felt right away. But since heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc. usually take many years to develop, we are able to separate them from their cause (or contributing factors) and go on happily eating an animal-based diet.” IfsKnowsYearsFirstsHeartFactsAbleFeltCausesAnimalEffectsGoes OnDiseaseEatingCancerFactorsMeatDietsEtcMeant To BeContributingDiabetesHeart DiseaseMeat EatingOsteoporosis Author:Sharon Gannon
“We enslave, torture and then slaughter animals to eat them, then when we eventually become sick from that we enslave, torture and kill more animals in laboratories in the hopes of creating drugs to enable us to continue with our animal-abusive lifestyle! Few of us look to the future (i.e., to our parents and grandparents), see the effects of an omnivorous lifestyle, and opt out of it before it makes us sick.” LooksParentAnimalEffectsDrugCreatingSickLifestyleTortureGrandparentLaboratorySlaughterAbusiveParents And GrandparentsLooking To The Future Author:Sharon Gannon
“Farms, whether small or large, are places where slaves are kept. The animals are fattened up to be eaten, or exploited for their ability to make honey or milk, or for their fur, wool or body parts; they are kept as breeders to produce more animals who can in turn be exploited and ultimately sold, slaughtered, and eaten.” BodyTurnsAbilityAnimalProduceSlaveFarmsHoneyMilkFurWoolBreeders Author:Sharon Gannon
“Some people may argue that if the animals are treated humanely prior to being slaughtered, this justifies their confinement and slaughter. Is it ethical to rob beings of their freedom but give them a comfortable prison and provide them with food until they become fat enough to be slaughtered? Any way you look at it, farms are places where animals are kept in preparation to be slaughtered and ultimately eaten as food.” PeopleIfsWayGivingLooksMayEnoughAnimalComfortablePrisonArguingTreatedFatsPreparationJustifyEthicalFarmsSlaughterConfinement Author:Sharon Gannon
“Is it really that much better to make friends with animals before you kill them than to treat them as nameless, faceless objects before you kill them? From a yogic point of view, one must weigh the karmic consequences of perceiving others as mere objects to be used and the consequences of profiting from the suffering of others.” UsedSufferingAnimalViewsObjectsConsequenceTreatsMerePoint Of ViewNamelessSuffering Of OthersFaceless Author:Sharon Gannon
“Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment or for any exploitative purpose.” UsePurposeAnimalEntertainmentExperiments Author:Sharon Gannon
“Welfarists are concerned with the quality of the animals' lives before or even during their slaughter and want animals to be treated, and slaughtered, "humanely." Welfarists don't necessarily feel that it is wrong for humans to use animals for our own purposes.” WantFeelsHumansUsePurposeAnimalQualityConcernedTreatedSlaughter Author:Sharon Gannon
“It has been an obsession of human beings to create a hierarchy that places the human species on top and lumps all the "other animals" together beneath us. The resulting "speciesism" allows us to look upon animals as less deserving of all manner of rights and considerations than humans. To support this lower status, humans have argued that animals act instinctually; don't have souls; don't feel physical pain like we do; and lack self-consciousness, cognitive intelligence, emotional feelings, morality, and ethics.” FeelsHumansLooksHas BeensSoulSelfFeelingsPainTogetherHuman BeingsAnimalConsciousnessSupportRightsEmotionalMoralityEthicsSpeciesObsessionLook UpConsiderationHierarchyDeservingCognitiveLumpsSelf ConsciousnessHuman SpeciesPhysical PainSpeciesismMorality And Ethics Author:Sharon Gannon
“In fact, numerous scientific laboratory tests and field observations have led to the conclusion that animals are conscious, intelligent, emotional beings. They are not machines and truly feel physical pain when it is inflicted upon them. They are capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions, including loneliness, embarrassment, sadness, longing, depression, anxiety, panic, and fear, as well as joy, relief, surprise, happiness, contentment, and peace.” FeelsWellsFactsPainJoyAnimalEmotionSadnessLonelinessFieldsEmotionalAnxietyCapableConsciousTestsMachinesIntelligentLongingSurpriseIncludingWideConclusionObservationRangeReliefContentmentPanicEmbarrassmentLaboratoryPhysical PainContentment And PeaceRange Of Emotions Author:Sharon Gannon
“We are so unconscious about our actions that we don't even realize the immense suffering we are causing to animals, the planet, and ourselves.” ActionSufferingRealizingAnimalPlanetsUnconsciousImmenseOur Actions Author:Sharon Gannon
“All breathing beings are spiritual; this includes everyone who breathes, whether they are animals or humans, carnivores or vegetarians.” HumansSpiritualAnimalBreatheBreathingVegetarianCarnivores Author:Sharon Gannon
“The raising of animals for food and all that it entails is the single most destructive force impacting our planet's fragile ecosystems. Our planet simply cannot sustain the greed of billions of human beings who are eating other animals.” HumansForceHuman BeingsAnimalPlanetsEatingGreedBillionsDestructiveFragileOur PlanetEcosystems Author:Sharon Gannon
“It is true that every being is enjoying life or suffering as a direct result of his or her own past actions. The animals in the factory farms may have been meat-eating human beings in a previous birth; we don't know, and it is not our place to judge.” KnowsHumansMayHas BeensActionPastSufferingEnjoyHuman BeingsAnimalResultsJudgingBirthEatingDirectMeatFarmsFactoriesEnjoy LifeMeat Eating Author:Sharon Gannon
“Knowing the truth about the hell-realms that animals have to endure, it would be wise of us to do our best now not to plant the karmic seeds that would cause us to be reborn as an animal in one of those hell realms.” Would BeCausesAnimalHellKnowingWisePlantEndureSeedsRealmsBeing WiseRebornKnowing The Truth Author:Sharon Gannon
“If yogis are to come to the realization of the interconnectedness of life, then we must free ourselves from the conditioning that has caused us to think it is all right to exclude all the other animals from our own goals of peace, freedom, and happiness.” IfsThinkingGoalAnimalRealizationConditioningInterconnectednessYogiFreedom And Happiness Author:Sharon Gannon
“The way we treat animals is the root cause of all the human suffering in the world, from poverty, starvation, disease, and war to lack of clean air and water, not to mention all the varied forms of human emotional and spiritual suffering.” WorldWayHumansWarSpiritualFormSufferingCausesWaterAnimalPovertyAirEmotionalDiseaseRootsTreatsCleanStarvationHuman SufferingRoot CauseClean AirAir And Water Author:Sharon Gannon
“By working to alleviate the suffering of animals you are working at the cause level of human suffering.” HumansSufferingCausesAnimalLevelsAlleviateHuman Suffering Author:Sharon Gannon
“It is a testament to the effectiveness of advertising campaigns funded by the animal-user industries that a diet that is bad for us and harmful to the planet is thought of as "normal" and a diet that promotes health, happiness, and well-being is thought of as alternative, abnormal, or faddish. In fact, these days it is relatively easy to find vegetarian options in many restaurants and supermarkets, though you may have to ask.” WellsMayFactsAsksEasyAnimalPlanetsIndustryNormalCampaignsAdvertisingAlternativesWell BeingThese DaysDietsRestaurantsVegetarianUsersTestamentEffectivenessAbnormalSupermarkets Author:Sharon Gannon
“Today's fishing industry supplies land farms with fish as well. Over fifty percent of the fish caught is fed to livestock on factory farms and "regular" farms. It is an ingredient in the enriched "feed meal" fed to livestock. Farm animals, like cows, who by nature are vegans, are routinely force-fed fish as well as the flesh, blood, and manure of other animals. It may take sixteen pounds of grain to make one pound of beef, but it also takes one hundred pounds of fish to make that one pound of beef.” WellsMayTodayForceAnimalBloodLandIndustryPercentHundredCaughtFishesFleshMealsFiftyFishingPoundsFedsIngredientsFarmsVeganFactoriesCowsGrainSuppliesSixteenBeefManureLivestock Author:Sharon Gannon
“Some meat eaters defend meat eating by pointing out that it is natural: in the wild, animals eat one another. The animals that end up on our breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates, however, aren't those who normally eat other animals. The animals we exploit for food are not the lions and tigers and bears of the world. For the most part, we eat the gentle vegan animals. However, on today's farms, we actually force them to become meat eaters by making them eat feed containing the rendered remains of other animals, which they would never eat in the wild.” WorldEndsTodayForceNaturalAnimalBearsEatingRemainsDinnerGentleMeatBreakfastFarmsLionsLunchVeganPlatesTigersPointingExploitsContainingWild AnimalMeat EatingDinner Plates Author:Sharon Gannon
“Lions and other carnivorous animals do eat meat, but that doesn't mean we should. They would die if they didn't eat meat. Human beings, in contrast, choose to eat meat; it isn't a physiological necessity.” IfsShouldHumansMeanDiesHuman BeingsAnimalMeatLionsContrastPhysiological Author:Sharon Gannon
“Lions and other carnivorous animals do a lot of things besides eat meat. They live outdoors, not in houses; they don't wear clothes or drive around in cars; they usually sleep for many hours after eating a meal. Why cite just one of the many things that they do and argue that we should imitate them? This doesn't make much sense.” ShouldHouseHoursSleepAnimalCarEatingClothesArguingMeatMealsJust OneLionsCiting Author:Sharon Gannon
“The ridicule you may endure from others when you speak up for animals can help you to hone your skills, enabling you to become better at articulating your message in an informed, compassionate, and communicative way.” WayMayHelpingSpeakAnimalSkillsMessagesEndureCompassionateRidiculeEnablingArticulating Author:Sharon Gannon
“If we ourselves want to be free and happy then by enslaving and harming animals we will not be able to achieve our goal.” IfsWantAbleGoalAnimalAchieve Author:Sharon Gannon
“Eating meat and dairy products is the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet. The SAD diet can only make you sad. It causes heart disease, cancer, diabetes and makes you fat. Raising animals for food destroys the environment... And those animals are not happy. They are enslaved and live humiliating, fearful lives of abuse and tremendous suffering. Veganism turns sadness into joy.” YearsHeartReasonJoySufferingTurnsCausesSimpleAnimalEnvironmentSadnessProductsDiseaseEatingStandardsAbuseCancerFatsMeatDietsFearfulRecipesVeganismNot HappyDiabetesHumiliatingDairyHeart DiseaseEating MeatAmerican DietDairy Products Author:Sharon Gannon
“We are the only animals who steal and drink the milk from other species.” AnimalDrinkSpeciesStealingMilk Author:Sharon Gannon
“When I see a person wearing a fur coat, I see not only the coat but the animals who were cruelly abused, killed and skinned to make that coat, and also I see the person wearing that coat being reborn as a poor fox crazily circulating in a tiny cage waiting to be skinned. And I see the poor dairy cow who has been raped and exploited, and in the same picture, I see the new future dairy cow taking her place, in the form of that person putting milk in her coffee, today.” PersonsHas BeensTodayFormWaitingAnimalPoorCoffeeTinyMilkCowsFoxesCoatsCagesFurRebornDairyFur CoatsNew FutureDairy Cows Author:Sharon Gannon
“I passionately feel that as long as we view ourselves as superior and other animals as exploitable our consciousness will remain stuck in a level of ignorance that will disallow a full realization of the truth underlying reality.” FeelsLongRealityAnimalLevelsViewsConsciousnessIgnoranceStuckSuperiorsRealization Author:Sharon Gannon
“The fact is that eating meat and dairy is bad for your health, the health of the animals eaten, as well as the health of the planet.” WellsFactsAnimalPlanetsEatingMeatDairyEating Meat Author:Sharon Gannon
“It is a fact that the ecological devastation of the planet can be traced to the consumption of meat and dairy, which contributes to water, soil, and air pollution as well as global warming and the mass extinction of many species of plant and animal forms.” WellsFactsFormWaterAnimalAirPlanetsMassPlantSpeciesMeatSoilGlobal WarmingPollutionConsumptionExtinctionEcologicalDairyDevastationPlants And AnimalsAir PollutionMass Extinction Author:Sharon Gannon
“I'm totally into veganism and animal rights, but I'm not into being an angry and judgmental activist.” AnimalRightsAngryActivistAnimal RightsVeganismJudgmental Author:Sharon Gannon
“Vegan food is not only good for you, the animals, and the planet, but cooking vegan can be simple, easy, and fun.” FunEasySimpleAnimalPlanetsCookingVeganVegan Food Author:Sharon Gannon
“Large factory trawlers indiscriminately scrape and haul up everything from the ocean floor, along with everyone unfortunate enough to get caught in the nets. Roughly one-third of what is dragged in is not profitable fish, but other sea animals, including turtles, whales, dolphins, seals, and seabirds. These beings are referred to by the fishing industry as "by-catch." Severely traumatized and wounded, these animals are subsequently thrown back into the ocean, dead or dying.” EnoughAnimalSeaDyingIndustryOceanThirdsIncludingCaughtFishesThrownFishingFactoriesUnfortunateWoundedProfitableWhalesSealsDolphinsTurtlesHaul Author:Sharon Gannon
“Farm animals, like dairy cows - who by nature are vegans - are routinely force-fed fish to increase their weight and milk production.” ForceAnimalWeightIncreaseFishesProductionsFedsFarmsVeganMilkCowsDairyDairy Cows Author:Sharon Gannon
“Through the practices of yoga, we discover that concern for the happiness and well being of others, including animals, must be an essential part of our own quest for happiness and well being. The fork can be a powerful weapon of mass destruction or a tool to create peace on Earth.” WellsEarthSuccessAnimalPowerfulPracticeEssentialsWeaponsMassYogaConcernToolsDestructionIncludingWell BeingQuestsPeace On EarthWeapons Of Mass DestructionMass DestructionForksPowerful WeaponsInspirational Yoga Author:Sharon Gannon
