Practically Vegan!

So what do you do when you want to find out who does and who does not test on animals? While some companies will post this info right on their packaging some do not. So I just write the companies. You will be amazed at their responses. Some are so nice and some are so corporate and try to beat around the bush on how animal testing is totally necessary for safety. Well that is a load of crap.

While i was in Montreal Canada last week I randomly stopped in a Kiehls store. I’m not super familiar with their products so I decided to inquire about their practices. Here is the response I got.

Keep in mind that just because someone doesn’t test doesn’t mean all of their products are vegan. I had a very lovely Kiehls  representative that gladly pointed out products for me in the store that were not vegan. Just don’t be afraid to ask! Also it’s really your choice whether or not you want buy from a company that does use animal products in their line. Some vegans will not as they feel like supporting the company, even though the particular product they are buying is vegan, is still supporting animal exploitation. Some feel that as long as what they are buying is vegan they are not. I tend to lean toward the first option. I rather buy from fully vegan product lines if possible. As a cosmetic and beauty product junkie I can tell you there are some great companies out there with products that work just as well if not better then the products that are non vegan.  As I come across random lines of products I’ll be writing to them and posting their results here. Though I was glad l’oreal does not test, I was kind of grossed out to think that they use fish in some of their products (believe it or not fish are widely used in the cosmetic industry).  Though some of their products are nice and vegan. I believe I’ll be giving my money elsewhere.

September 28, 2009
The safety of our consumers is our highest priority at Kiehl’s Since 1851, a division of L’Oréal USA, Inc.  Our products and ingredients undergo extensive screening so that consumers may purchase and use our products with complete confidence.

All the brands of the L’Oréal Group are in full compliance with the requirements for safety in the more than 130 countries in which our products are sold, as well as with FDA regulations and the European Union Cosmetic Directive.

L’Oréal has been committed to the elimination of animal testing for more than 20 years.  In 1989, the company ceased animal testing for safety assessment of its finished products.

We invite you to view our Sustainable Development Report, which is posted on our company’s global website www.loreal.com.  Information may also be found on this site in the Research tab under Responsible Innovation.

We do not have prepared information for the ingredient information you requested for our entire product line.  However, all the ingredients we use in a product are listed on the package or the label of the product itself.  Since some ingredients are known by more than one name, we use the standard industry names for ingredients as found in the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary.  This dictionary lists FDA-recognized names.  A review of the ingredients that are listed on all of our products or packages will alert you to the presence of this type of ingredient.

Cosmetic and personal care products may contain ingredients derived from animal sources such as lanolin and honey.  Our products do not contain ingredients derived from bovine (beef) or porcine (pork) sources; we may use ingredients derived from fish.

We appreciate your interest in Kiehl’s Since 1851 and we hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,
M.
Consumer Affairs Specialist

Well there just seems to be tons of independent movies coming out on better nutrition and animal rights and this one does not disappoint. Even after being a vegan for 3 years this really taught me some new great information. There are so many things happening not only to animals but to farmers, slaughterhouse workers, and even kids in schools. This movie is a real eye opener. It’s not too graphic if you have someone who just doesn’t want to see what really happens. (aka the blood and guts of the meat industry). My husband (non vegan or veg) even went to see it and that is a wonderful thing!

It’s a must see for everyone!

Please bear with the changes this site will be going through in the next month or so. I’ve very new to CSS and wordpress design (and very indecisive) so your bound to see many designs in the next few weeks. Please be patient as I work on setting up a good format for the site. Your comments on designs are always welcome. Thanks!

Oh and for those of you who have been linking over to this via the old link www.practicallyvegan.wordpress.com please update your links to the new website www.practicallyvegan.org! It may be a little bit messy for a while but I’ll keep the info flowing.

When most people think of Vegans they immediately think of animals. That doesn’t mean that we don’t love our fellow man kind too! Though they can be a pain in the you know what from time to time! But none the less being a vegan should mean that we try to do the most good and the least harm. So that is why I am asking you to consider giving blood.

Blood is always in need and there is no other way to get it other then from donors. But maybe your scared or wonder how safe it is? Well I just gave blood today and will give you the run down on the experience as it was my first time! Now I vow to do it a few times a year.

So first I looked for a place to give blood. That can be done here. I had wanted to give blood for a while now but kept on missing my local drives at they ended before I got home from work. So I decided to find a place near work. The process did take the full hour of my lunch break so I would recommend finding somewhere close if you are under a time constraint.

So after I found a place I marked it on my calender and waited! It was two weeks away so I did some research. They say you should have a good dinner the night before and morning of if you will be giving at lunch. Basically make sure your two meals before giving blood are healthy meals. Drink lots of healthy fluids too (not sugary or cafinate ones) as you don’t want to get dehydrated. They take one pint of blood so you are losing fluids here. But don’t worry your body will replenish itself and your doing a great thing for someone. Keep in mind that different types of blood are harder to come by. You may have that rare blood that someone really needs! I for one have O- blood which means I can give to anyone but can only get O- myself. It really made me think that if I got hurt I would hope other O- had donated to get me well. Even if your blood is pretty common it just means it’s in even more demand as lots of people need it! Read here about different blood types.

So next part..I walked into my donating station. It happened to be in an office building that was across the street from mine. I walked in and they weren’t very busy, which was discouraging. They had been there all day and I was only number 32. Which means only 32 pints of blood. I’m not a doctor but I’m sure that is not a lot. The nurse had me read through some pamphlets, explaining about how they test your blood and if there is anything wrong with it they will let you know. It’s a little scary but always better to know these things. They also asked if I would be ok if my blood was used to help them study better ways to collect and store blood, which I was fine with. They show you a questionere that shows you various reasons why you may not be able to donate blood. After you’ve read everything you fill out a form with your information on it and then wait for your turn.

Everything is very private. When you get called the nurse brings you behind a curtain where your information is confidential and no one can hear the questions or answers. Things went pretty fast for me till they got to the travel questions. I had to list everywhere I had traveled in the last 3 years! So we were there for a while. Finally after she put all my data in I came up as elligible to donate. One last thing she pricked my finger to measure the iron in my blood to see if I could stand to lose a pint of blood. Then she walked me to the chair where I would donate.

The next person verified my name and rubbed my arm down with iodine (after asking if I was alergic to it). He put a blood pressure cuff on me and gave mt this little hand held foam thing that I had to squeeze. Then he marked off my vein and put the needle in. It really was only a small sting. Then he told me to squeeze the foam thing every five seconds and then open my hand. This was to help me pump the blood into the bag that was hanging below my chair. It was rather interesting watching the bag fill up with my dark almost marone colored blood. He said I pumped it out really fast (5 min) and said that it usually takes 15 min! Not sure what that means but oh well lol.

Then they removed the needle and had me raise my arm above my head. They put a bandage on it (neon green) and gave me some instructions on what to do it it bled later. (It didn’t bleed or bruise and I’m now on day 3 after giving blood). They told me to sit down and have some juice and cookies. I felt like a little kid sipping on grape juice and eating a nutter bar (actually was vegan!) I only sat there for about 5 min as I felt fine and had to get back to work.

I asked him if anyone had ever fainted and he said, oh yeah all the time! But a lot of that comes from dehydration or nerves. I didn’t feel any dizyness or lightheaded ness but I will say that when I walked up a small flight of stairs I was out of breath. I felt like this for about 3 hours so I drank lots of water when I got back to my desk. They said this is normal as you have lost some blood cells that help with oxygen production. They recommend you take it easy and don’t do any heavy lifting. I wore around a cute sticker that said, “take it easy on me, I just gave blood”.

Overall it was a very positive experience. I just imagine my blood going to someone that is in the hospital who really needs it and it makes me feel good that I could help someone else in that way. Supposedly you can give blood every 56 days. You can also donate platelets or do a double donation of red blood cells. In this procedure they don’t actually take all of your blood but filter your out some of your blood cells and give you back the blood.

Well I hope this has gotten you more comfortable with the idea of giving blood. There is a ton of information out there to educate you on the process and to answer any questions you may have.

Go go out there and find a place to donate! And help a fellow animal, mankind.

Um no way!!! Are you crazy. No one should be without this lovely creation unless they happen to be crazy and not like it! As a vegan you just have to stay away from Milk chocolate. And believe me its no loss. Dark chocolate is sooo much better and is better for you too.

Why did you know that dark chocolate contains lots of Antioxidents.

“Dark chocolate — but not milk chocolate or dark chocolate eaten with milk — is a potent antioxidant, report Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy’s National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome, and colleagues. Their report appears in the Aug. 28 issue of Nature. Antioxidants gobble up free radicals, destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments.”- WebMD.com

Plus if you get ones with a high Cacao amount it usually has less sugar. Just don’t make the mistake I did and get 99% cacao content and expect it to taste yummie. Unless your a hardcore dark chocolate chick/dude and can deal with the bitterness and then I salute you!

One of my favorite brands (though I’ve only tried a few so far) has been Endangered Species. Actually one day (when I was newly vegan) I was standing in line at Target and saw the bar. I looked at the ingredients and was sooo happy that it didn’t have milk that I  bought a few kinds and they all were good.

While they do make milk chocolate (so they aren’t a vegan company) they are easy to find (non health food stores). The nice thing about this company though is they donate 10% of their net profit to animals, habitat, and humanity. They also have nice handy snack size ones that work great for packing into lunches.

Lately I’ve also been trying the house brand of World Market which has been quite good too and is a nice price when you can get it on sale. (2 for 2 dollars!) They have different percentages of Cacao plus cool ingredients like Chili, Sea Salt, and Pomagranate. My favorite so far is the 82% cacao version.

If your watching calories just limit yourself to what you eat in a day. For example the serving size for the World Market bar is 2 per package. So half a bar is 220 calories. Each bar is broken into 5×4 pieces equaling 20 pieces total and 10 in a half. So each piece is just 22 calories! I just let the piece sit in my mouth and savor every last ounce of it.

I keep a bar at work and have one-two pieces after lunch to satisfy my sweet tooth. Also I started doing something my Grandmother did for years. I keep the chocolate at home in a freezer bag and put it in the door of my freezer. Most times I forget about it but when I remember it its like a treasure!Perfect for those stressful times that just require something sweet. As long as you eat it in moderation you should be fine!

So don’t feel like your being deprived without your milk chocolate. As time goes on you will see that dark is so much better. Milk is just gross for so many reasons and it brings along with it the suffering of animals. So stick to dark and enjoy!

Photo by Ryan Wiedmaier. Obtained from Flickr.

I would love to buy 100% organic 100% of the time. But I will say that unfortunately it is more expensive. (Becoming Vegan does save you a bunch on meat though so this can help!) In some places it’s dramatically more (whole foods) and in others sometimes it’s just a few pennies/quarters more. If you can do it then please do! Not only will your items be free of pesticides, fungicides, and other cides lol, but you’ll be helping the rest of the environment as well. Healthy food should be the norm not convenient processed food. We must demand this and when you purchase organic you are making the statement that using these chemicals on our plants is not only unnecessary but unacceptable! Also

as more people buy Organic, the demand goes up, and thus the prices come down.

Now if you can’t buy organic all the time this is a good list to follow. It is called the Dirty Dozen. The list was made by The Environmental Working Group

and it shows the most pesticide ridden fruits and veggies and the least pesticide ridden. Keep this handy and it will help you make smart decisions while grocery shopping.Try to buy the Dirty Dozen’s organic if possible to keep these chemicals out of you and your families food and bodies.

The full list can also be found here.

And a handy dandy wallet guide here.

The Dirty Dozen
(in order from most pesticide-ridden):
1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

The Clean 15
(in order from least pesticide-ridden)
1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

If you travel and are vegan/vegetarian then this is the site for you!

If you don’t know about it check it out ASAP!

I’ve traveled to many countries with my job and this is the first site I check out to find out where I am going to eat. It’s such a great resource for restaurants, Bed and Breakfast’s, Animal ingredients, and so much more.

I’ve used it in Brazil, Colombia, Greece, and Estonia. I’ve never found anything out of date as of yet! They do rely on you to keep them updated on new or closed restaurants so help out your fellow vegans and fill out places near you that are vegan or try out some new places you may never have heard of.

This site is a lifesaver for a vegan when traveling!

“You are either an activist or an inactivist” – the cove

If you haven’t seen this movie yet I urge you to go.

I went a few weeks ago with my mom up in NJ. It only seems to be playing at independent/art theaters but seek it out anyway. I had no idea this kind of slaughter was happening to dolphins in Japan. How horrifying! This movie (like many other animal right movies) is having a hard time getting support as people in the Japanese government don’t want people to know what is going on. It’s up to us to spread it by word of mouth. Go see it with your animal loving friends! It’s well worth it.

They have a petition you can sign and of course if you are able they are in serious need of donations to assist with the efforts.

You an also read about Ric O’Barry who is the main activist in the film and the original trainer for the dolphins who played Flipper!

I was so lucky to be able to head up to Watkins Glen NY a few weeks ago. It wouldn’t have happened if not for my mom’s willingness to drive 5+ hours up from NJ. I’ve wanted to go there for about a year now but getting there hasn’t really been an option till this last trip home. I had a full week in NJ and kept on hinting that I’d love to head up there during the week. Aside from the Sanctuary itself the region is beautiful with tons of winerys and other amazing restaurants.

The thing that amazed me most about the area was that since its a destination for vegans there are ton’s of vegan restaurants and vegan options on the local restaurant menus! I even had vegan soft serve icecream at the local ice cream parlor. I was definately in heaven and at way to many good things those few days. My original plan was to do some reviews of the restaurants but unfortunately I didn’t bring my digital camera to take food pics. But take my word there are a bunch of good places to eat.

If you ever get a chance to go to the upstate NY one or the CA one go for it! It will make you feel so good about being a vegan and maybe help push you over the fence if you are on the border of going vegan. Especially hanging out with the cows. (my favorite part!)