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Are there more American vegans in 2011 than in 2009? -- December 18th, 2011
A 2011 Harris Interactive poll commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group indicates that approximately 2.5% of Americans are vegan (if "vegan" status is also extended to those who consume honey), compared with a 2009 Harris Interactive poll that gave a result of 2.1%. With the popularity of Meatless Mondays and news from the poultry industry that their sales are down, these results are encouraging, and perhaps the number of vegans in America is growing. A fair number of recent online articles and blogs have stated so by citing the 2011 Harris poll, but in reality the statistical margin of error in this poll is far too large to make such a statement. In 2009, 2397 individuals were polled. Given that sample size, the 2009 figure should read 2.1 +/- 0.6% (at the 95% confidence level, the true percentage falls between 1.5 and 2.7, assuming no systematic errors or biases). In 2011, a significantly smaller number of individuals was polled. Given the sample size of only 1010 individuals, the 2011 figure should read 2.5 +/- 1.0% (at the 95% confidence level, the true percentage likely falls between 1.5 and 3.5). So according to the 2011 poll, the best we can say is that the number of American vegans likely falls somewhere within the wide range of 4.5 and 10.5 million individuals, while the 2009 poll indicated that number fell between 4.5 and 8 million. The good news is that both polls point to quite a large number of vegans. To reduce the margin of error, it would be very helpful -- but also very expensive -- to take a much larger poll of, say, 20,000 individuals. In that case, we would know the percentage to within +/- 0.2%, becauase the margin of error scales as the inverse square root of the sample size. Please contact us if you want the details of our statistical analysis.
Most milk chocolate Halloween candy purchases are supporting child/slave labor -- October 21st, 2011
The big candy brands, such as Hershey, Nestle, and Mars are not taking responsibility for the unacceptable labor practices of their suppliers. As articulated in a recent article by Kristen Howerton, hundreds of thousands of children in West Africa are enslaved to harvest the cocoa beans that end up in the full array of popular Halloween chocolates, such as Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers, M&M's, etc. And non-dairy dark chocolate certainly is not in the clear either. You can avoid supporting child slave labor by choosing Fair Trade chocolate and/or opting for non-chocolate Halloween candies or snacks.
For the sake of the animals, don't ever let someone criticize you for being a vegan -- August 7th, 2011
While the vegan lifestyle has become more mainstream in recent years, it's still falsely deemed "extreme" by most. Never let anyone get away with an incident of criticizing you or implying that you're an extremist (or a weirdo) for choosing a lifestyle that reduces the amount of unnecessary suffering in the world. Rather, you know that a meat-centered diet, which inflicts substantial pain and suffering on other beings simply for one's culinary tastes, is an expression of extreme selfishness. So who is the extremist?? OK, it is not advisable to seek out confrontations on the issue, but it's certainly inappropriate for you to allow a critical colleague or acquaintance to indulge in their false notion about veganism just because you prefer to be overly polite or diplomatic. If not for your self-respect, then for the sake of the animals, don't pass up an opportunity to get some of the facts out. And you might suggest that they learn some of these facts by pointing them to http://www.MeatVideo.com/ (warning: the truth is graphic and disturbing) or perhaps to printed literature from Vegan Outreach or elsewhere. You may just plant a seed, or you may not. But you should always feel good about trying. If you don't speak up at all, then the incident is likely to be an affirmation of your critic's uninformed viewpoint, and that's always bad.
Does a natural plant-based source of Vitamin B12 exist for vegans? -- May 23rd, 2011
In case you haven't been paying attention to the B12 debate over the last few decades, we should let you know now that virtually all nutritional authorities recommend a reliable synthetic B12 supplement for vegans and for many lacto-ovo vegetarians too. Supposed natural sources of B12, such as spirulina, have been found to contain only B12 analogues (which are inactive), and such analogues may even inhibit one's absorption of true B12. Even the few known non-animal sources of the vitamin, such as certain algae, are not considered to be sufficiently reliable. However, a recent new study of Korean Buddhist vegetarians (The nutritional status of iron, folate, and vitamin B-12 of Buddhist vegetarians, Lee Y, Krawinkel M, et al, Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2011) indicates that the consumption of Korean laver, the most commonly consumed seaweed species in Korea, is responsible for healthy B12 serum levels. The authors conclude that Korean laver can be recommended as a good source of B12, because it has been shown to contain substantial levels of true B12.
Soy protein receives highest rating for muscle building by Muscle & Body Magazine -- March 3rd, 2011
It has been derided by muscleheads in the past, but soy protein is finally getting its due recognition as a muscle-building powerhouse. Muscle & Body Magazine (Dec. 2010) states that soy protein is 100% equal in lean muscle building as the whey, casein, and egg proteins that are so popular among bodybuilders. "You will gain just as much lean muscle mass from soy protein as any other protein." Dave Hawk, former Mr. USA, Mr. World, and consultant to professional athletes, explains further, "Soy also has no negative effect on testosterone levels. A study by Miami Research Associates found that soy protein (both soy isolate and concentrate) did not decrease blood testosterone levels or prevent men from an increase in lean muscle mass. This study also demonstrated that soy did not increase estrogen levels. This study, like many others, concluded that soy protein builds lean muscle in men and is completely safe. Male athletes and bodybuilders have been force-fed a lot of propaganda from anti-soy interests. But as more studies emerge, findings continue to demonstrate that soy isolate is a superior protein source for both men and women." So whether you like your soy in the form of meat analogs or nutrition bars, your vegan muscles will benefit.
Animal products creeping into some bars by CLIF -- January 15th, 2011
Once upon a time, you could be a confident vegan and buy bars by CLIF without reading labels. But as of late, some product additions have not been quite so vegan-friendly, including dairy and/or honey. The original Clif Bars, original Luna Bars, and Builder's Bars are still safe (and still delicious), as are the new Clif C Bars. However, none of the new Luna Protein Bar flavors is vegan, and be sure to read ingredient labels on each of your favorite flavors of Clif Crunch Bars, Kid Zbars, and Mojo Bars, because some flavors are vegan and some are not. Of course, all the flavors that we sell at TheVegetarianSite.com are vegan, so no need to read labels here.
Thank You for all your support during our 11th year! -- December 24th, 2010
We wish you the happiest of holidays this year, and we thank you for all your support and for everything you do for the animals all year long! Throughout this 11th holiday season for TheVegetarianSite.com, we are open for business and shipping orders as usual.
Top 30 Vegan Gifts Under $30 -- November 23rd, 2010
Gearing up for this holiday season, but on a budget? No worries, just take a look at our suggested list of vegan gifts, all under $30, from vegetarian message t-shirts, to non-leather accessories, to chocolate gift boxes, and everything in between. And if you don't see what you need there, please visit our online vegan store front for hundreds of other ideas.
Over 40 gluten-free vegan foods for you -- November 6th, 2010
From breakfast cereals to dinner entrees, we now have over 40 gluten-free options in the new Gluten-Free subsection of our Vegan Foods section. Do you have a favorite gluten-free item that we don't yet carry in our online store? Let us know at shopping@TheVegetarianSite.com.
Cargill's Truvia sweetener added to list of brands tested on animals -- October 28th, 2010
The Truvia brand of sweetener, derived from stevia and produced by agribusiness giant Cargill, has been added to the list of brands that were tested on animals. In order to secure GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status from the FDA, Cargill revealed that they submitted a number of safety studies on this product, including an animal study using rats. Their Truvia sweetener is now widely available in supermarkets nationwide. In addition, Coca Cola partners with Cargill and uses Truvia to sweeten some of its diet soft drinks and Odwalla juices.
Review of our hemp wallets by Modern Hippie Mag -- October 1st, 2010
We're happy to report that ModernHippieMag.com posted a very nice review of our high-quality hemp wallets a few days ago. These wallets are eco-friendly, vegan, sweatshop-free, and durable too. What else could you want in a wallet? Read the review.
Diners Club International credit card now accepted -- September 10th, 2010
In addition to the "major four" (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover) you now also have the option to use your Diners Club credit card at our online vegan store.
Now you can follow us on Twitter too -- August 7th, 2010
Yes, we have a brand new Twitter account. So if you're interested in keeping up to date on everything from veg-related news to special 24-Hour Sales at our online store, just follow us on Twitter.
Why is Tofutti still pushing trans fats? -- July 22nd, 2010
Trans fats are widely known to be even more detrimental to human health than the saturated fat in pure animal lard or butterfat. That's why trans fats have been banned in some US cities. So a visit to the Tofutti.com website is a rather surreal experience. Under their Products section, you can read about their Better Than Cream Cheese product, where they state among other things, "Now, you have a healthy alternative that contains no dairy! The Better for you Cream Cheese!" But read the product label online and you'll find that the second ingredient (after water) is partially hydrogenated soybean oil, which is loaded with trans fat. However, you wouldn't know it by their online nutritional label, which shows 0 grams of trans fat per 2 tablespoon serving! Just what is going on here? We wanted to find out, so we contacted them by telephone a couple of years ago. We were told that, yes, 6 of their 7 cream cheese substitute products do contain trans fats, and that the 0 grams shown on their website site is incorrect. They made very clear that they were aware of the "problem." We contacted them again this year and received a similar statement. So is Tofutti purposely deceiving the public into believing that this very unhealthy product of theirs is actually healthy? Maybe they're confusing the supermarkets as well: Some mainstream stores, such as Safeway, display this trans fat-laden product in their special natural foods section! Trader Joe's carries it too. Perhaps Tofutti needs many more phone calls from the public -- or a call from the FDA -- to make the website change. Tofutti's annual revenues are close to $20 Million, so they certainly should have the resources to make some quick website corrections, if it's really just a mistake. Right?
Our Vegetarian Quote Contest is well underway -- July 13th, 2010
We've been receiving a steady stream of excellent quotes for our 2010 Vegetarian Quote Contest, including entries from a number of well-known figures in the vegan and animal rights movement. But don't let that deter you from entering! It's the quote that matters, not the prominence of the individual who created it. One thing is for sure: it's already obvious to us that choosing the winners is going to be a more difficult task than we anticipated.
Saying goodbye to Clif's award-winning Nectar Bars -- June 26th, 2010
Clif Bar has pulled the plug on its Clif Nectar Bar line of vegan fruit & nut bars. According to the company, these bars started out strong a number of years ago -- they even won a Top Pick award from Health.com -- but sales have been fading for a while. We still have some flavors in stock, so rush over to our online store if you like these bars!
The demise of another fair labor sneaker factory -- June 19th, 2010
We just heard the bad news from Ethical Wares that the Italian sneaker factory that makes their high quality men's and women's Motion Sneakers has shut down. Ethical Wares had contracted with that fair labor factory for 15 years. Committed to ethically made footwear, they are currently searching for another European factory to produce all their sneakers. The prevalence of high-volume, low-wage Chinese sneaker factories, used by many brands that masquerade as socially responsible or forward thinking (such as Simple, Macbeth, IPath, People's Shoe, and others) has taken its toll on fair labor factories worldwide.
What? You didn't receive last month's email newsletter? -- June 8th, 2010
If you're already subscribed, but you didn't receive our May 2010 email newsletter, then you probably need to give us a different email address. According to Website Magazine, only 77% of bona fide email newsletters actually reach their intended destination. 7% end up in bulk/spam folders and 16% are blocked by overzealous (or overwhelmed) email service providers. That's not a real surprise given the enormous amount of unsolicited junk email that is constantly bombarding all of us. Do you have a Yahoo.com or Hotmail.com email address? Both have occasionally given us some trouble in the past, as have some smaller providers. Whatever the case, check your bulk/spam folder. If our newsletter appears there, make sure you label it as 'not spam' and also add us to your friends list. That way our next newsletter should go directly to your inbox. But if there is no sign at all of our May 2010 newsletter, the only solution may be for you to offer us a different email address of yours altogether. Just send it to: subscribe@TheVegetarianSite.com. Our privacy policy is very simple: We will never sell, trade, or give your email address to anyone. And if you're not yet familiar with our newsletter, it offers recipes, news articles, upcoming events info, special features, new products offerings, and sale updates. Subscribe today, it's free!
Get ready for summertime vegan ice cream -- your own! -- June 4th, 2010
Is there any better hot weather treat than a cold bowl of sweet vegan ice cream? Whether you like vanilla or Fair Trade chocolate, stock up on your Temptation vegan home ice cream mix so that you'll have it when you need it. Quick and easy with absolutely no cooking required. All you need is your blender and home ice cream maker. Visit our online store for more info.
Some customers asking about cold packs -- June 3rd, 2010
We've had a few customers ask why we don't offer cold/ice packs for shipping food orders. As an eco-friendly company, we have made the conscious choice not to use these disposable packs. Although they're dirt cheap these days (a case of 96 3-oz. units is $22 at ULINE), these chemical-gel refrigerant packs quickly end up in the landfill. As an obvious corollary to this eco-philosophy, we have chosen not to stock any commercial foods that would require continuous energy for their refrigeration. Instead, all food items that we stock are shelf stable at room temperature.
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