The Reality of Circuses

Animals are not ours for entertainment.  Animals do not naturally stand on their heads, balance on balls, jump through rings of fire, or ride bicycles.  To get them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable acts, trainers use whips, tight collars, electric prods, muzzles, bullhooks, and other pain-inflicting tools.  Circuses easily get away with routine acts of cruelty because no government agencies monitor training sessions.  

Circus animals spend almost their entire lives in confinement- elephants are shackled almost their whole life.  One study of traveling circuses observed an elephant who was in chains 96 percent of the time.  Tigers and lions usually live and travel in cages 4 feet high by 7 feet long by 7 feet wide, with two big cats crammed into a single cage.  Big cats, primates, and bears are forced to eat, drink, sleep, defecate, and urinate in the same tiny cages. 

Elephants are some of the most abused circus animals. To see just some of the cruelty involved in the training of the large animals, click here.  

For other information regarding circuses and ways you can help, click here.  One thing you can do to not support the cruelty is to choose to only go to animal-free circuses.

Make Sure To Get Your Vitamins

Vitamins are an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  Here are some major vitamins and minerals, why they’re important, and which (vegetarian) foods contain them.  

Calcium strengthens bones and teeth, reduces risk of colon cancer, decreases chance of bone loss, aids the nervous system, and alleviates insomnia.  Found in almonds, soybeans, seeds, Brazil nuts, kale, collard greens, molasses, and kelp (seaweed).

Iron aids growth, prevents fatigue and anemia, promotes resistance to disease, and enhances good skin tone.  Found in nuts, pumpkin seeds, lentils, beans, whole grains, oatmeal, asparagus, molasses, broccoli, spinach, bok choy, swiss chard, peas, green beans, and sea veggies. 

Folic Acid promotes healthy skin, protects against parasites and food poisoning, fights against birth defects, and helps ward off anemia.  Eat leafy green veggies, carrots, fruit, cantaloupe, artichokes, avocados, apricots, beans, lentils, soybeans, garbanzos, barley, and whole wheat.

Omega-3 fatty acids fight heart disease, lower bad cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of breast cancer, lessen the likelihood of blood clots, help with rheumatoid arthritis, and keep skin, hair, and nails healthy.  Found in flaxseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hempseed oil, and other seeds and their unrefined oils.

Omega-6 fatty acids combat PMS symptoms, ward off eczema, acne, and psoriasis, and help with endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis.  Found in flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, black current seed oil, and borage oil. 

Magnesium fights depression, helps burn fat, boosts energy, prevents heart attacks, maintains good cholesterol levels, combats PMS symptoms, aids indigestion, helps prevent premature labor, and keeps teeth strong and healthy.  Nuts, seeds, green veggies, sunflower seeds, soybeans, kelp, and molasses are all good sources of magnesium.

Potassium reduces blood pressure, increases clearer thinking by helping send oxygen to the brain, and helps the body dispose of waste.  Found in bananas, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, tomatoes, watercress, green leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds, lentils, avocados, potatoes, and whole grains.

B Vitamins improve mental attitude, aid in digestion, help migraine headaches, provide healthy skin, act as natural diuretics, increase energy, improve concentration and memory, strengthen immunity, and are helpful to the nervous system.  Eat whole wheat, wheat germ, oatmeal, bran, whole grains, brown rice, nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, soybeans, dates, figs, bananas, and vegetables.

Vitamin C accelerates healing, prevents colds, lowers blood pressure, protects against cancer, and helps decrease bad cholesterol. Also forms collagen.  Sources are broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, collard greens, green peppers, spinach, watercress, potatoes, grapefruits, papayas, and oranges.

Vitamin D helps build strong bones and teeth.  Helps assimilate vitamin A, and prevents colds when teamed up with vitamins A and C.  To obtain vitamin D all you need to do is get direct sun exposure on your skin.  (Fifteen minutes a day is recommended).

Vitamin E keeps you looking youthful, inhibits cancer cell growth, prevents blood clots, fights fatigue, lowers blood pressure, decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and accelerates the healing of burns.  Found in wheat germ, whole grain cereals, nuts, whole wheat, sunflower seeds, leafy greens, and vegetable oils.

Zinc helps with infertility issues and brain function, maintains the body’s acid/alkaline balance, aids in collagen formation, and helps form insulin.  Found in wheat germ, whole grains, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and soybeans.  

We can get almost all the nutrients we need from food sources.  Vitamin B-12 however, is only found in animal products, so most veg*ns take B-12 supplements.  Sublingual liquid B vitamins with folic acid are more quickly and easily absorbed than pills.  If you are worried you aren’t getting sufficient vitamins in your diet and want to take supplements, you should consult your physician.

Skinny B****

Skinny B**** by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin is a no-nonsense, straight-forward guide to becoming healthy and losing weight.  The book is entertaining, sassy, and told as it is.  It’s a wake up call to all women who want to be thin.  In the book, soda is referred to as “liquid Satan”, the truth about ingredients like aspartame, MSG, and high fructose corn syrup are revealed, and a diet of fruits, vegetables, and grains is strongly encouraged.  The book contains some rather inappropriate words (not too surprising considering the title.)  Although it explains why and how you should go vegan, it’s mainly just about getting healthy.  Most likely if you are not a vegetarian already before reading this book, you will be when you’re finished.  

Freedman and Barnouin tell readers to simply use their head and common sense when it comes to becoming healthier and eating the right foods. You should ignore all the diets and gimmicks out there, because they don’t work.  Get in the habit of reading the ingredients of foods, because it doesn’t matter how much fat or calories is in a food; it’s what the food is made of.  Because if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, or if it’s something you’ve never heard of, then it doesn’t belong in your body.  (Aspartame, MSG, BHT, GMO’s, and natural/artificial flavors are some examples.)  They also reveal the truth about the USDA and FDA, and how you can trust no one.

Also available are Skinny B**** in the Kitch and Skinny B**** Bun in the Oven.

Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm

Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coates is a great book to check out for anyone who eats meat, has ever eaten meat, or is thinking about becoming vegetarian.  Although the book was written in the late 80’s, much of the inhumane treatment of animals mentioned in his book is the same today.  Coates reveals the horrors of factory farming through comparisons between story tale views of farming and modern day methods of farming.  The reality is, cows don’t graze peacefully in huge, grassy meadows, pigs don’t take lie in a puddle of mud, basking in the sun, and chickens don’t freely wander the land, pecking the ground for bugs.  Mass-production techniques and modern business-efficiency programs turn out high volumes of products at a minimal cost per unit.  These products are living creatures, raised in dirty, unnatural environments.  

Coates, an animal-rights activist and vegetarian, reveals the horrors of factory farming, animal by animal. He also discusses genetic engineering, environmental effects, transportation of live animals, and the ethics of factory farming.  While his book strongly encourages vegetarianism, Coates also advises consumers how to look for humanely raised meat products.   

To get a taste of what the book is like, here is the preface:

Isn’t man an amazing animal?  He kills wildlife by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed.  Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them.  This is turn kills man by the millions, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative- and fatal- health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer.  So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases.  Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals.  Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and violently, and once a year sends out cards praying for “Peace on Earth.”

Vegan Turtle Mountain Products

Hate to go vegan for fear that you will miss ice cream or other frozen goodies?  No need to worry; you’re covered with Turtle Mountain products.  Everything is dairy-free and organic- the company is considered the Ben and Jerry’s of the vegan world.  Plus, some of company’s profits are donated to the Sea Turtle Restoration Project.  Turtle Mountain also only buys sugar that has been manufactured without animal products for refinement.  Not using any dairy ingredients has a huge effect on the environment because it minimizes the fossil fuels used to supply animal feed as well as dealing with the pollution and fertilizer, and waste of animals.

Their products- yogurts, ice cream, and various frozen novelties- are simply made with organic soy milk instead of cow’s milk.  They also now offer products made with coconut milk, which provides more nutrition.  The ice cream line called “So  Delicious” comes in flavors such as Dulce de Leche, Mint Marble Fudge, Butter Pecan, and Cookies ‘N Cream.  Their “Purely Decadent” line comes in flavors like Mocha Almond Fudge, Key Lime Pie, Pomegranate Chip, and Blueberry Cheesecake.  Chocolate, Coconut, Cookie Dough, Mint Chip, and Vanilla Bean are “Purely Decadent” flavors that are made with coconut milk.  Frozen novelties include their creamy fruit bars and fudge bars, all vegan and with less than 100 calories per bar.  They also offer a diabetic friendly, sugar-free fudge bar and vanilla bar.  Their “Soy Delicious” line is sweetened with a blend of fruit concentrates, brown rice, and tapioca syrup and comes in flavors like green tea, mango raspberry, and pistachio almond.  Also offered is dairy-free yogurt and ice cream sandwiches.

If you’re a vegan and miss the taste of ice cream, or just want to enjoy cruelty-free, healthier, more environmentally-friendly ice cream, then you should definitely check Turtle Mountain out.

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