This is a page that we put together to help us keep track of some of the vegan and healthy eating facts that we have encountered
Becoming a vegetarian/Vegan makes the world a better place
Animal agriculture is in fact a major contributor to climate change, water use, pollution and biodiversity loss. Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems. In fact, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, buses, and trains combined.
Canadians eat two and a half times the global average of meat
Consequently, we are major contributors of the damage in our environment.
Did you know that currently one third of Canadians are now choosing to reduce their meat consumption OR drop animal products entirely (Vegan)? And that number is continuously growing!
With the help of numerous documentaries and word of mouth, Canadians are realizing and recognizing that the over-consumption of meat means horrifying lives and deaths of animals and negatively changing the world we live in.
A healthy vegan diet has many health benefits
including lower rates of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer
Not all ingredients are created equal
Watch out for some of these ingredients: Honey (sourced from bees), Gelatin (sourced from cow and pig bones), Lard (aka tallow) is animal fat, Carmine (red dye that is made from insects), Casein (milk protein), Whey (milk protein). All of these ingredients are sourced from animals. Sometimes the labels may say Vegetarian but have these sneaked in the ingredients.
Search for “certified organic” labels.
The term “organic” is strictly regulated. (eg. “Natural” doesn’t mean anything”)
Half of our added sugar comes from our beverages such as soft drinks, coffee drinks, sweetened teas, juices, etc)
Sugar is simply addictive. Our brains scientifically react to it like a drug. Did you know that an average Canadian eats 110g of sugar daily! (That is more than 20% of our daily intake) Excess sugar is toxic and has been linked to a higher risk of dying from heart disease, high levels of blood triglycerides, and even depression.
MSG most people still don’t know what this toxic ingredient actually is!!
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is found in plenty of processed foods, including everything from canned soups, chips, snacks, Asian foods, etc. Most of us eat this without even realizing it! Many restaurants still use this product to enhance flavour! If you don’t meticulously check the labeling of your food products, we will eat more than half a gram of added MSG in one day. Some people may complain of nausea, headaches, numbness, flushing and more after ingesting it, the culprit? Yes, MSG!! Just the other day I have come across a couple of labels in Asian markets that say “No MSG” when I turned the packages around and read the ingredients, lone and behold, monosodium glutamate was in the list! Scary! This is just one ore reason to eat mostly whole foods, in as close to their original state as possible.
