Unbelievable vegan athletic feats are popping up faster than you can say, whey-free protein shake. Here are the just a few crazy things that vegan athletes have accomplished.

1. A vegan carried more weight than anyone EVER.

In 2013, vegan strongman Patrik Baboumian broke the world record for the most weight ever carried by a human being, lugging 1,216 lbs. across 10 meters. Its no fluke either: Patrik holds multiple weightlifting world records and was named Germanys Strongest Man in 2011.

2. A vegan won The Ultimate Fighter competition.

Vegan fighter Mac Danzig won The Ultimate Fighter 6, which catapulted him into a stellar Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

3. Two vegans completed five Ironman Triathlonsin a week!

Vegan ironmen Jason Lester and Rich Roll finished each triathlon on a different Hawaiian island in seven days, something that had never been done before. It spawned the creation of Jasons EPIC5 Challenge, in which world-class athletes compete for charity.

4. A vegan won two gold medals at the Sochi Olympics.

Alexey Voyevoda won gold in the two- and four-man bobsled events at the 2014 games. If that wasnt enough, this vegan is also a former arm-wrestling world champion.

5. A vegan is the reigning USA Boxing champion.

Plant-based boxer Cam F. Awesome has been a tournament-winning machine since going vegan in 2012, and he has now won more medals than any American in amateur boxing history.

6. A vegan ran a marathon on every continent (and at the North Pole).

Vegan runner Fiona Oakes had one exhausting world tour when she ran marathons on all seven continents and the North Pole (yes, that North Pole), where she set a new course record by 44 minutes.

7. A vegan is a world-champion freerunner.

Tim Livewire Shieff has noticed huge differences since going vegan. Hes feeling healthier and able to train harder, and as the video shows, his performance is better than ever.

If you were surprised by the unbelievable accomplishments that plant-powered athletes can achieve, share this page on Facebook. Then go have a kale smoothieyour arms are looking a little scrawny.

And if youre looking to become a world-class athlete (or just want to take the stairs without gasping), try going vegan today. Its better for you, for the planet, and for animals.

Originally posted here:

7 Vegan Athletes With More Muscles Than You - PETA (blog) (press release)

A judge in Belgium has convicted the parents of a seven-month-old boy who died of malnutrition after he was fed a vegan diet.

The boys parents were sentenced to a suspended six-month prison sentence Wednesday for "unintentionally" causing the child's death.

The boy, identified in court documents as Lucas, weighed just nine pounds at the time of his death in 2014. Reports indicate the boys organs had shrunk to half their normal size, and had no fat surrounding them.

The Lucas parents run a health food store in the town of Beveren, and fed him a diet of milk made from made from oats, buckwheat, rice and quinoa.

The attorney representing Lucas parents argued in court that his mother was unable to breastfeed, and that Lucas would not drink traditional formula. At that point, the parents assumed that Lucas had either a lactose or gluten allergy.

Lucas father said in court that he never took the boy to the doctor because he never noticed anything unusual," but prosecutors claimed that the parents drove the boy to a homeopathic when they noticed that he was sick.

The parents can still appeal the sentence.

Lucas parents arent the only ones to face legal trouble after putting their infant children on a vegan diet. According to Broadly, an Italian father took his childs mother to court after she forced her children to eat vegan in May 2015, and two other parents lost custody of their child in 2014 after forcing the child to eat vegan.

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Vegan diet leads to infant's death, parents convicted - WKBW-TV

They ate meat all their lives until about five minutes ago, and now Im not allowed a tiny bit of butter. Photograph: Alamy

My four grown-up children are political, passionate about justice and the state of the planet. So I wasnt surprised when Megan announced she was vegan. Lily and I were alreadyvegetarian; it didnt seem a bigdeal to factor in another dietary requirement. There was also apart of me that wondered if the veganism was a phase.

I underestimated my daughter. Not only did she remain vegan, but her siblings were swiftly converted, too. Edand I lagged behind. But after Megan made us watch Cowspiracy and Earthlings, reaching for dairy would never again be a simple act. We had the information and couldnt un-know it.

We are now, in effect, a vegan household. I have given up my daily dose of bio-yoghurt. Ed has even given up his beloved strong cheddar. But toast and honey is my go-to comfort food, and has been for as long as I can remember. I cant sacrifice honey there is no debate on that but, as a goodwill gesture, I have switched from cows to goats butter, although I am probably kidding myself that goats butter is acquired in a kinder manner.

My offspring cannot forgive this weakness. Particularly the butter. When they berate me for eating it, I am in turns angry, defiant and depressed. Ifeel hounded in my own home, and when Im cornered, I resort to lashing out. After one particularly heated argument, Ed and I escape to the pub to recover. Ed orders scampi fries. I eat one and feel like a rebellious teenager. Iknow my feelings do not make sense.

Where did I go wrong? I wonder bitterly. Why do they think they can bully me? They ate meat all their lives until about five minutes ago, and now Im not allowed a tiny bit of butter.

Im aware that I sound like a petulant child. But it feels good to moan. Ed nods. We pay the food bills, we enable them to be vegan, and yet we end up looking like the bad guys.

Exactly. Its easy for them to be perfect, I say. They dont have to worry about council tax and mending the washing machine. Theyre still protected in their bubble at home.

Yes, says Ed sadly. But they do have the moral high ground. I think thats whats so difficult to accept.

Heis right. Im angry about being made to feel guilty. And that is a very uncomfortable place to be.

I try vegan margarine, but it is not for me. I have a solution. It is not grown-up or noble, rather born of desperation (and greed). I pretend to give up butter, but hide it in plain sight in a honey jar. The vegan children never touch honey. So they wont know that Im actually spreading butter on to my toast.

This works for some weeks. Peace reigns. I almost forget there is a problem. As far as the children are concerned, Im eating the disgusting margarine. What could go wrong?

A friend of Jakes stays the night. Inthe morning, while Im out walking the dogs, he requests honey on his breakfast toast.

Returning from my dog walk, I am met with a frosty silence.

Whats the matter? I ask, a little nervously.

Then it starts. A barrage of anger, disappointment and righteousness. The friend is curled up on his chair in mortification. Of course, I go off on one, as they would say. Ibring up all the points that Ed and I discussed and throw them in their faces. I tell them they cant accuse me of not being an animal-lover when Ikeep three dogs and two cats, when Im 99% vegan. Iam not a bad person, I wail. Leave me alone.

We do not speak for several days. And then we do. There is forgiveness. They agree that as Im old and stuck in my ways, it might take me longer to be a purist.

But what we cant forgive, they say sternly, is that you lied to us.

Anger bubbles up again. I have to swallow it. They are right. I lied. But being scolded like a child by your children is not something I relish.

Unlike butter.

Names have been changed.

Saskia Sarginson is the author of TheStranger (Piatkus, 7.99).

Read more:

When my vegan children berate me for eating butter, I lash out - The Guardian

Metro

Vegan vandals spray offensive graffiti on nature reserves Metro A group of 'extreme' vegans are being hunted by cops after spraying offensive graffiti on park signs and equipment. The vigilante 'Vegan Vandals' have been targeting family beauty spots in a bizarre stand over people eating meat and products from animals. 'Vegan Vandals' who have defaced parks and public spaces with graffiti meet their match in politely-written response ...Daily Mail all 2 news articles »

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Vegan vandals spray offensive graffiti on nature reserves - Metro

A look at the latest in local food, dining and drinking news

Jessica Rine

Photos courtesy of The Burger Patch

The Patch Burger features a Beyond Meat vegan patty on a Truckee Sourdough Company vegan bun.

Meatless Monday will become Meatless Thursday next week in midtown when The Burger Patchwhich took the Handle District by storm at its one-day event last month returns to the neighborhood on June 22 to dish out tasty vegan eatsfor the Kings' NBA Draft 2017 Block Party.

Co-owned by husband-wife team Phil and Danea Horn, The Burger Patch held its first pop-up in May, in the space that formerly housed Saddle Rock at 1801 L Street, and people flocked to partake of the plant-based fast food. Think In N Out served up veggie style: the burgers feature a Beyond Meat meatless burger patty (largely comprised of peas), the chickn strips are made from soy protein courtesy of Gardein, the bacon is made from beans, and the shakes get their creamy thicknessfrom blendedcashews.

The first pop-up was hugely popular, resulting in a three-hour-long wait time for some patrons: We had a line of 200-plus people before we even took our first order, says Phil Horn, so there was going to be a wait there. But as far as the food goes, [the feedback] was overwhelmingly positive.

At the upcoming block party on June 22, The Burger Patch will inhabit the same space from 4-9 p.m., and offer a similar menu to the one they served up in May. Signature items include the popular Patch Burger with a Beyond Burger patty, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion and (secret recipe) Patch sauce on a vegan bun from Truckee Sourdough Company, and the Earth Quake, a chocolate or vanilla shake made from cashews, agave and soy milk. (Phil says to get there early for the shakeit was the one menu item they ran out of last month.)

The Horns, who live in the Pocket area, devised these pop-ups as a way to gauge the community's response to meat-alternative dishes in anticipation of opening a brick-and-mortar fast-casual joint by the end of the year. The couple eliminated animal products from their own diet nearly a decade ago, but only recently felt that food science had achieved the flavors and textures they were looking for.

We definitely think the time is right and the appetite is there for it, says Phil. Sacramento [has] such a progressive food scene that theres room for something new like this.

June 22. 4-9 p.m. 1801 L St. theburgerpatch.com

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More here:

The popular, all-vegan Burger Patch returns to midtown for its second pop-up event - Sactown Magazine

A year and a half after opening in Watertown, Wild Rice Vegan Cafe (71 Elm St.) is closing this weekend, reports Boston Restaurant Talk. Chef-owner Pankaj Pradhan is also behind Red Lentil, which will remain open at 600 Mt. Auburn St. in Watertown.

Wild Rice Vegan Cafe will close after service on Sunday, June 18, according to a Facebook post from the restaurant thanking loyal patrons and promising to continue to provide Watertown with the very best in vegan cuisine via catering and at Red Lentil.

Wild Rice serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with global influences Tex-Mex enchiladas, garbanzo bean burgers, South Indian upma, oat bowls, crepes suzette, and more, all vegan.

The restaurants big sister, Red Lentil, opened in 2009 and has a fully vegetarian menu with numerous vegan options. Its open for daily dinner as well as weekday lunch and weekend brunch.

Wild Rice Vegan Cafe Coverage on Eater [EBOS] Wild Rice Vegan Cafe in Watertown Is Closing [BRT]

Originally posted here:

Watertown Loses a Vegan Restaurant This Weekend - Eater Boston

Buffalo's newest doughnut shop offers unusual flavors like bubblegum and root beer float, and standard flavors, like chocolate glazed.

What it doesnt offer is doughnuts containing eggs or milk. All of Fry Baby Donuts' treats are vegan, right down to the sprinkles.

If owner Ann Hogan hits her target, you wont be able to tell. "I think we nailed it," said Hogan, who opened last week at 336 S. Elmwood Ave., near the corner of West Tupper. Ultimately, she said, customers will decide.

Doughnuts are $2, six for $11, and 12 for $22. There are no gluten-free options at present. Fry Baby will post to social media when it runs out for the day, so check Facebook or Instagram, Hogan said.

Chocolate glazed will be one of the standards at Fry Baby Donuts, Buffalo's new vegan doughnut shop. (Fry Baby Donuts)

"Vegan baking seems like an afterthought sometimes," said Hogan, a professional baker since 2009. "Establishments see that vegans are spending money and will make something for them as an afterthought. I wanted to make something that was good for everybody, appetizing enough for non-vegans to not realize it was vegan."

Doughnut flavors will change week to week, Hogan said. Wildberry, s'mores, cookies and cream and jalapeno raspberry are other flavors offered so far, in addition to cinnamon buns and fritters.

Besides doughnuts, Fry Baby sells soda, tea and coffee. The half-and-half for the coffee is the only non-vegan stuff in the store, said Hogan.

Hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Phone: 783-7837.

Send restaurant tips toagalarneau@buffnews.com and follow @BuffaloFood on Instagram and Twitter.

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Fry Baby gives Buffalo first vegan doughnut shop - Buffalo News

The question of how were going to feed a population of 9.7 billion people by 2050 is possibly the most burning one facing humanity. Our current food system, which is heavily focused on meat and dairy production, already occupies around half of the worlds arable land and uses a majority of freshwater resources and still, around one billion people lack access to food. Whats more, the massive amounts of air and water pollution, coupled with the greenhouse gas emissions produced by animal agriculture are contributing to climate change and endangering our ability to grow more food for people in the future.

The bottom line is were doing a better job at feeding animals than we are at feeding people and if we continue to do so, we will be absolutely incapable of feeding ourselves in the near future. Luckily, many individuals and companies are taking note of the failures of our food system and looking to new technology and innovation to solve this pressing issue. Being that were familiar with the statistics surrounding just how damaging our food system is to people, animals, and the environment, we are cautiously optimistic about the change that has been happening with a rise in plant-based protein companies and consumer trends that favor eating less meat and dairy but we recently heard something that has given us tremendous amount of hope for the future of food and the planet.

In a recent interview with Nil Zacharias, co-founder of One Green Planet and host of the new podcast #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias, Prince Khaled Bin Alwaleed, founder and CEO of KBW Ventures detailed how he plans to relegate factory farming to the dustbin of history within the next 10 years through strategic investments in cellular agriculture and plant-based proteins.

Khaled believes that there is a viable solution to factory farming in cellular agriculture and thanks to the tremendous leaps this new technology has made in the past five years alone, he is quite certain that companies will be able to scale it up and make clean meat, which is grown in a lab, using a small fraction of the current resources to produce meat without harming animals or the environment, competitive with current organic meat in a decade or less.

Hearing something like this certainly has us hopeful that change is on the way and this is only one of the extremely encouraging things Khaled shared in this interview.

If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe to the #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias podcast for new episodes with food industry leaders, health and sustainability experts, as well as entrepreneurs and creative minds who are redefining the future of food.

The rest is here:

This Vegan Saudi Prince Wants to Relegate Factory Farming to the Dustbin of History - One Green Planet

If you like reading cookbooks for more than the recipes, you need to read Ann Hodgman, one of the few cookbook writers whose introductions (we call them headnotes) and even recipe names regularly make me chuckle, if not guffaw. Her latest book, Vegan Food for the Rest of Us (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017) is no exception, except now, as you can tell by that title, Hodgman, 60, is bringing her matter-of-fact sense of humor to the topic of vegan cooking, something she has been trying to master since becoming vegetarian in 2009.

[Make the recipe: Vegan Burgers ]

Take the introduction to a recipe she calls Cauliflower Steaks (but Lets Not Go Nuts Here): You can cut a cauliflower into thick slices and call them steaks, but they are not steak and will never be steak, no matter how brown and caramelized they get. So why not call them slices? Well, because steak is a sexier word.

I talked with Hodgman about her experiments in vegan cooking. Edited excerpts follow:

There are vegetable-forward cookbooks, but this isnt that. In fact, you include a funny quote from Peg Bracken about the lack of appeal of vegetables.

I love vegetables. But when people say all I need is fresh vegetables on that desert island, how can they mean it? If you imagine the taste of cabbage, which I like very much, compared to, say, candy, how can it compete?

Theres one thing vegan food doesnt naturally have enough of, and its fat. If you depend only on vegetables, you have to have a source of a kind of vegetable enricher, or it wont taste as good. Vegetables just dont have as much sugar or fat as other foods. Unfortunately, vegetable fats melt more easily, so you have to figure out ways to not turn your cake into a pool of oil.

This book is a journey of experimentation. Why did you approach it that way?

I went into the assignment thinking I had to learn to make tofu taste good, to make nondairy cheese taste good. I was dehydrating things, I was sprouting seeds. For a year, I was foundering, and my house was completely filled with vegan products and ingredients. It was when my husband said, I wouldnt mind never tasting this again after I tried to make my own seitan that I realized I was going about it the wrong way. I realized, Im thinking of this as chemistry, so no wonder Im tense. This isnt the way Ann Hodgman cooks. When I decided to make only things I knew I wanted to eat, it got much easier. But I had acquired a certain amount of biochemical knowledge, which I needed.

Whats your thinking about meat substitutes?

Most of the fake meats Ive tried have a grain quality that I find icky when you eat them straight up. Id rather use a small amount of textured vegetable protein or wheat gluten to create the sensation youre biting into a hamburger. On their own, I dont think they work very well.

Legumes are satisfying, but I think you cant make a good legume burger without including wheat gluten. With hamburgers, what are you looking for? Substance, a crispy exterior and for it not to feel like a mashed-potato patty.

I loved your idea to use vital wheat gluten to add texture to the vegan burgers. It works!

I dont think my vegan burgers taste exactly like burgers, but to me they seem as good as burgers.

Any words of advice for aspiring vegans?

I can say uncompromisingly that the moral edge goes to those who dont eat meat. That said, food is very important to people emotionally, and its important to recognize that. Giving up food that has meant so much to you your whole life is a very big project. So do it gradually.

People should become morally more rigorous in their thinking, but better about cutting themselves slack. Food means more to us than sustenance its comfort and family. Youre asking a lot of yourself to make dietary changes. So honor yourself and do your best.

Hodgman will join our online chat with readers on Wednesday: live.washingtonpost.com.

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Want to go vegan? One author's advice: Do it gradually. - The ... - Washington Post

Kery Shaw is one of many dog owners aligning their pets lifestyles with their own.

Shaw, a freelance photographer who lives in San Diego, was on medication for irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, allergies and recurring sinus infections when she learned about the health benefits of a plant-based diet. She decided to go vegan, abstaining from meat, fish, eggs, dairy and other foods made from animals.

On the new diet, her health improved so much that she wondered if Portland, her golden retriever who was suffering from bouts of diarrhea and itchy hot spots on the skin, could also benefit from a vegan diet.

She switched him from a meat-based dog food to v-dog, a vegan kibble that uses a pea-based protein and forgoes corn, soy and wheat, and saw his symptoms clear up. She supplements his diet with homemade smoothies and vegetables.

Hes a cancer survivor, and he has way more energy than ever, she said of Portland, who now has a clean bill of health.

Dog owners turn to plant-based foods for ethical, environmental and health reasons, noting that byproducts from mistreated or diseased livestock sometimes make it into foods and that animal agriculture is a leading source of greenhouse gases requiring copious amounts of water. Unlike cats, which are obligate carnivores (cats need nutrients found in meat to survive), dogs can draw the nutrients they need from animal or plant sources.

Makers of plant-based dog foods, which include brands like v-dog, Halo and Evolution, say their food meets the nutritional standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, an organization of commercial feed producers and government officials that seeks to safeguard consumer and animal health. Vegan dog foods contain protein from plants like soybeans, potatoes or peas and are supplemented with the vitamins, minerals and amino acids, like vitamin B12 and calcium, that the feed organization recommends for dogs.

Veterinarians agree that dogs need a balanced diet, but are divided over whether plants and supplements make for an adequate meat substitute.

Dr. Lisa M. Freeman, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and a professor at Tufts University, said that there were no long-term studies on the effects of veganism in dogs. A vegetarian herself, Freeman understands the ethical argument for avoiding meat but believes that a balanced diet for dogs should include meat. She recommends feeding a dog a high-quality fish-based diet as an alternative.

We know a lot about dog nutrition, but there are unknowns as well, she said. We want them to be eating a diet that is nutritionally balanced. That means it has all the proteins, vitamins and minerals that they need in the correct ratios and with the best quality control. It isnt easy to formulate a high-quality diet for dogs, and its particularly difficult with a vegan diet.

A study published in 2015 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that looked at vegetarian commercial pet foods found that of the 24 foods tested, most were not compliant with the minimum nutritional standards set by the feed producers group. Because some foods arent always formulated correctly, Freeman said, a meat-based diet from a reputable company is the best way to ensure that nutritional gaps are filled.

If people are doing this because they are under the impression that its healthier, thats just not true, Freeman said.

While plant-based diets are known to have health benefits for humans such as reducing the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, pets will not necessarily get the same benefits.

While dogs and cats get some of the same heart diseases that people do, they are very resistant to coronary artery disease, the main heart disease affecting humans, Freeman said. So the nutritional strategies that are beneficial for preventing heart disease in humans are not useful in dogs and cats. Since obesity is the main risk factor for diabetes in cats and dogs, she said, maintaining a pets ideal body weight with a consistent diet is the key to successful treatment of that disease.

Dr. Michael Roth, a veterinarian in Richmond, Massachusetts, and himself a vegan, said that some dogs have an allergy to common dog food ingredients like beef or dairy and that some may benefit from a vegetarian or vegan formula to help ease skin rashes and other allergy symptoms. He recommends that his clients try a vegetarian formula for 12 weeks to see if it relieves itching and improves the skin and coat. Many owners who see an improvement in their dogs, he said, are reluctant to move their dogs back to a meat-based diet.

Is the vegan diet the best diet for all dogs out there? I dont think anyone would say that, just like nobody would claim there was one best diet for all the people on the planet, Roth said.

Dogs, like humans, have varying degrees of tolerance for certain foods, he said. He fed his most recent dog, Dawn, a golden retriever, a vegan diet. She lived to age 11 before developing a fatal cancer, about the same age that her brother, Sam, raised on a diet that included raw meats, also died of cancer.

Dr. Lorelei Wakefield, a veterinarian who regularly sees vegan dogs as part of a consultancy service she runs in the Philadelphia area, says that her clients do completely fine on the diet.

We dont know yet what the healthiest diet is for them, but ethically, for someone who believes in vegan ideals, it makes sense, she said.

Mary Straus, who runs a website called DogAware.com and writes for the WholeDog Journal, a holistic dog newsletter, disagrees. She says that some nutritional deficiencies take months and even years to show up in vegan dogs. Signs of malnutrition range from a dull coat and digestive issues to heart disease and early death.

Our knowledge of nutrition is not great enough to ensure that this is the case, even if AAFCO guidelines are met, she said in an email, referring to the feed-makers group. To be safe, a new set of guidelines would have to be developed for vegan diets, along with long-term testing to ensure that the diets actually meet the animals requirements. This has never been done.

Straus, who feeds her Norwich terrier Ella a mostly homemade diet with meat, worries about the consequences of forcing dogs to eat a diet they were not designed for.

If you arent willing to give a dog the diet it really wants, she says, get a rabbit or a guinea pig: There are lots of herbivores out there that make great pets.

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The vegan dog - MyAJC.com - MyAJC