"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." - The Vegan Society

"If eating dogs in China is wrong, then shouldn't eating cows, pigs, and chickens be wrong too?"

1. ✨ Earthling Ed - (Speech) You Will Never Look at Your Life in the Same Way Again: https://youtu.be/Z3u7hXpOm58

2. ⭐ Gary Yourofsky - The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear: https://youtu.be/U5hGQDLprA8

3. 🌟 Dominion - The most powerful documentary on the reality of modern animal agriculture: https://youtu.be/LQRAfJyEsko

4. 🌟 Mercy for Animals - See the scope of suffering animals endure through their Undercover Investigations playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvfUGUfFj_6wFmc3wZTtRVdKTDKsXMyse

5. 📖 (Book) This is Vegan Propaganda (And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You) by Ed Winters - One of the most comprehensive and well-written books on all major issues veganism tackles. Describes the common practices vegans oppose in each of the animals we farm as well as animal agriculture's connection with nearly every major pandemic throughout history, its environmental impact, the negative health effects of meat consumption, and more. This book is great for existing vegans and curious meat-eaters alike: https://www.amazon.com/This-Vegan-Propaganda-Other-Industry/dp/1785044249

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that appropriately planned vegan diets are "healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits." They also view the diet as appropriate for all stages of life, from infants to athletes.

Personally, we eat a varied diet (sweets and all) and take a B12 supplement and our yearly nutritional profiles come out excellent. Eating foods fortified with B12 or taking a cheap supplement is important and it's worth knowing where other nutrients come from as well. See expert advice below!

1. ⭐ www.veganhealth.org - Created by R.D. Jack Norris. Start with "Tips for New Vegans" and see his articles on various health topics.

2. 🌟 www.nutritionfacts.org - Non-commercial, science-based website by Dr. Michael Greger with thousands of bite-sized videos on everything related to plant-based health.

VEGAN RECIPES:

Just like non-vegan food, vegan food has virtually infinite variety and can be cheap or expensive, healthy or unhealthy, and delicious or weird. We broke our old non-vegan habits because we were open-minded, curious, and not overly concerned about making everything healthy in the beginning. Meal-by-meal, we examined recipes we already enjoyed and looked at how to make them vegan usually through small tweaks. We enjoyed ice cream, spaghetti, pizza, burgers, and cakes before going vegan and still enjoy them after going vegan. Learn how to veganize recipes and explore new recipes below.

● 📺 SweetPotatoSoul - (Video) How to veganize ANYTHING https://youtu.be/_QAN_q8EeS8

● 📺 Cheap Lazy Vegan - (Channel) 100s of satisfying recipes, meal-prep ideas, and vegan cooking basics! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEjkioV3LO_OIUaSWRxFZ3A/videos?view=0&sort=p

● 📖 Isa Moskowitz, Isa Does It - (Book) 150 Satisfying vegan recipes for all meals

● 📖 Kristy Turner, But I Could Never Go Vegan! - (Book) 125 recipes categorized to help you find new favorite recipes based on your old favorites.

You can shop for vegan items at all major grocery stores in our area. Many normal foods are unexpectedly vegan (oreos!) and most places also carry plant-based meats, cheeses, milks, and more. You can literally buy pretty much anything vegan nowadays, and you can find vegan food at virtually every store. It’s so easy to follow the vegan lifestyle in this day & age because there are so many options to choose from. In Springfield, Meijer, Walmart, Hyvee, Aldi, and Target all carry everything you need. Sam’s Club, County Market, Harvest Market, Schnucks, Kroger, Little World Trade Mart, and Asian Market are also great options. Food Fantasies on Wabash is the best place to find vegan brands you will not find anywhere else in town. Go to the local Asian markets to buy cheap rice, noodles, rice paper, soy sauce, etc. Stay active with our group for local shopping tips. See great online guides here:

● 🛒 PETA - Vegan shopping guide organized by aisle! https://www.peta.org/living/food/vegetarian-shopping/

● 🏪 PETA - Meijer shopping guide: https://www.peta.org/living/food/vegan-at-meijer-shopping-guide/

● 🏪 VegNews - 18 best vegan foods at aldi: https://vegnews.com/2021/8/18-vegan-goods-at-aldi-you-need-to-know-about

ONLINE STORES:

vitacost.com

iHerb.com

luckyvitamin.com

swansonvitamins.com

thrivemarket.com

veganessentials.com (tons of variety, but can be pricey)

The vegan options available in Central Illinois grow every year. We still have much room for improvement, but you can find options across town. Generally, ethnic restaurants have the most diverse choices. La Fiesta Chatham won our “2022 Vegan-Friendly Restaurant of the Year” award and has hosted several of our large meetups. Gateway to India and Pita-or-Bowl were are top-rated spots for vegans as well. See our other highlights below and stay active in our group for more suggestions!

● 🐮 For All Restaurants - www.happycow.net is a website meant for vegans and vegetarians to highlight and share particularly veg-friendly establishments. You can also search for “Vegan” in Google Maps.

● 🍟 Fast Food - Burger King has the Impossible Whopper (ask for no mayo), vegan french toast, and more. Taco Bell has many options, just ask for vegetarian items to be made “Fresco Style” to remove cheese and sour cream. You can also substitute beef for beans for further options. Headwest has a delicious hummus sandwich and Subway, Quiznos, and Jimmy Johns also have good veggie subs. McDonalds notably has no great options yet as even the fries are not vegan.

● 🍜 Asian - Most of the menu at Little Saigon, Mimosa, Tai Pan, Hunan, Osaka, and others can be made vegan by asking for tofu instead of meat. Watch for eggs, egg noodles, and ask for no fish sauce. For sushi, Happy Sushi, Mimosa, Sky Lounge, and others have AAC, sweet potato, and other rolls available. Eel sauce is vegan. Ask about creamy sauces for dairy and miso soup is often (but not always) made with fish sauce.

● 🌮 Mexican - La Fiesta Chatham has one of the most creative vegan menus in town with Impossible Beef, Cheesecake Chimichangas, and more. Xochimilco, Casa Real, and most other restaurants have veggie fajitas or burritos, just ask for no cheese or sour cream! At Mexican restaurants, always ask if rice and beans are prepared in chicken broth or lard, or if burrito tortillas are buttered.

● 🇺🇸 American - Many of Springfield's American restaurants now serve Impossible Burgers and fries! Some good options include Cafe Moxo, Homeplate, and Red Robin. Harvest Market goes beyond the standard options and also includes things like jackfruit-stuffed sweet potatoes and rotating vegan specials.

● 🍝 Italian - Olive Garden has vegan minestrone soup, marinara spaghetti, and breadsticks! MOD Pizza has vegan sausage, cheese, and all the veggies you could want! Papa Murphy's and Pie's the Limit also feature vegan cheese. Most pizza restaurants will make a veggie lover’s pizza with no cheese (try it, you might like it!)

🌟 Watch the 3 BEST films on veganism by clicking here.

Top films include:

What The Health

Eating You Alive

Forks Over Knives

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

Cowspiracy

Blackfish

The Game Changers

Dominion

Lucent

Earthlings

Live and let Live

Eating Animals

Food, Inc.

Vegan: Everyday Stories

BOOKS:

-The China Study & Cookbook –T. Colin Campbell

-This is Vegan Propaganda (And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You) -Ed Winters

-Happy Herbivore Books –Lindsay S. Nixon

-Forks Over Knives

-How Not To Die & Cookbook -Dr. Michael Greger

-The Cheese Trap -Neal Barnard

-Engine 2 –Rip Esselstyn

-Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease –Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr.

-Reversing Diabetes –Dr. Neal Barnard

-The Starch Solution & more -Dr. John McDougall

WEBSITES:

www.veganhealth.org

www.nutritionfacts.org

www.vegancheatsheet.org

www.brandnewvegan.com

highcarbhannah.co

cookingwithplants.com

potatostrong.com

happyherbivore.com

www.drmcdougall.com

www.forksoverknives.com

www.onegreenplanet.org

itdoesnttastelikechicken.com

www.veganricha.com

blog.fatfreevegan.com

theplanteaters.blogspot.com

www.feastingonfruit.com

sweetsimplevegan.com