Fabric. So easily taken for granted. Who would have thought there could be so much cruelty involved in making clothing? And so unnecessary! Most vegs know leather and fur are off limits. I wanted to cry when I was looking up links for those. I just can’t handle it. But what about wool? I mean, the sheep could use haircuts anyway, right? It’s not like it hurts them! I used to think that- or hope that was the case. Well, it’s not as “clean-cut” as that. Check out this link and this one from Peta for more info. Very sad. And goose down filled items? Yeah that’s cruel as well (look here). And here’s a link that talks about down and silk (silk: another unfriendly fabric). Supposedly Hungarian Goose Down is more humane, but still “uncomfortable” for the geese. So if you have to have real down… go with the more humane route. But just remember how much it hurts when you pull your hair out. I can’t see plucking feathers being much nicer. Owning fabric that supports animal cruelty really is no better than eating the meat. Either way the animals are being tortured unnecessarily.

And besides, there are some great fabrics out there that require no animal cruelty. Faux furs, faux leathers, synthetic fabrics… Here are some fabrics to look for when you shop:

FRIENDLY FABRICS

• polyester
• polyester fleece
• linen
• rayon
• polyurathane
• hemp
• acrylic
• tencel
• Polartec Wind Pro
• cotton
• cotton flannel
• synthetic shearling
• faux or synthetic down or primaloft
• faux furs and leathers
• microfiber

NOT SO FRIENDLY FABRICS

• wool
• alpaca
• mohair
• pashmina
• shahtoosh
• cashmere
• shearling
• angora
• camel hair
• down-filled fabrics
• fur
• leather
• suede
• silk

And remember- it’s not just in your clothes. Check all your fabrics- in your rugs, furniture, bags…. you may be surprised how much of the fabric you possess comes from animals. Luckily, companies are working on creating new and exciting cruelty-free fabrics all the time. “They are working with all different types of materials like bamboo, hemp, soy, coconut, shells, pineapple and the like,” said Laurie Doxer, brand manager for Earth’s clothing segment. “Using cruelty-free materials in apparel is important in regard to not only sustaining the planet, but also contributing to reduced pollution and erosion of the environment and in promoting the awareness that harming or killing animals is no longer a necessity to wear luxurious, stylish clothing.”

It can be hard to find a rich flavorful vegan dressing. This is one of the best dressings I’ve ever had. It’s a vegan spin-off of a homemade restaurant dressing. You can find a non-vegan version in “John’s” salad at Epic Casual Dining, a fabulous restaurant in Utah that makes a mean Veggie Plate.

• 3 lemons squeezed
• 3/4 C soy sauce
• 2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C canola oil
• 1/4 C soy milk (optional)
• 4 cloves garlic

Blend it up until smooth. Pour over your green leafies of choice. Enjoy.

Food labels. Oy! It’s one thing for a person who doesn’t have moral issues with what goes into their food. It’s quite another for those who choose not to consume enzymes from pig stomachs. For people with common food allergies- they’ve finally started listing in bold what ingredients could cause harm. But what about the emotional harm it does us when we realize lipase is a gland of a calf’s tongue? Or castoreum is the musk glands of a beaver’s butt? AH!! Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, the ex-secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, got it right when he said “The grocery store has become a Tower of Babel, and consumers need to be linguists, scientists, and mind readers to understand the many labels they see.” (Vegnews)

Even if you are aware of all the scientific terms for animal ingredients, you still might not be safe, because they may just list the ingredient as “natural flavor.” Will we ever be safe? Until they start adding the “certified vegan” logo to all packaged foods (who knows when that may be), stay alert.

Here are some bizarre ingredient names you may or may not be aware of. Thanks,Vegnews. And remember, when in doubt, stick with produce. The ingredients in a banana: banana.

VEGAN SAFE
agar-agar: thickening agent from seaweed
caramel color: food coloring and flavoring derived from corn
gluten: a mixture of proteins from wheat flour
guar gum: common vegetable gum used as a thickening agent
lactate or lactic acid: fermented from corn starch or beet sugar
lecithin: stabilizer most commonly derived from soybeans
pre-gelatinized wheat starch: starch from swelling wheat in cold water

NOT SAFE
albumen: from egg whites; used as a clarifying agent in some wines
casein: a milk protein found in soy cheeses and other “non-dairy” foods (read more here)
gelatin: protein made by boiling skin, connective tissue or bones of cows and pigs
isinglass: from sturgeon bladders; used as a clarifying agent in some wines (read more here)
lactose: sugar from mammalian milk
lanolin: a waxy fat extracted from sheep wool
acetylated lanolin ricinoleate: extract of sheep’s wool
pepsin: an enzyme from pig stomachs
rennet or rennin: a coagulating enzyme from the stomach lining of slaughtered calves
tallow: rendered beef fat
whey: the liquid remaining when casein is removed from milk
castoreum: listed as a “natural flavoring,” it is an extract from the anal musk glands of beavers; aka beaver-butt juice.
lipase: a calf-tongue-gland-derived enzyme
cochineal or carmine: ground beetle carcases (70,000 beetles = 1 lb)
musk: from the genitals of the Northern Asian hornless deer
ambergis: a waxy substance from the intestines of sperm whales
shellac: a glazing agent from the Lac bug

COULD GO EITHER WAY
L-cysteine: flavoring agent and dough enhancer produced either synthetically from petroleum or directly from duck feathers or human hair (woa!). Often obtained from Chinese barber shops
Mono- and diglycerides: coagulating agent derived from cows, pigs or vegetables
sugar: white sugar from sugar cane is sometimes filtered with activated bone charcoal- search for sugars labeled as unrefined, unbleached, or raw
vitamin D: vitamin D2 comes from yeast, but D3 (cholecalciferol) is derived from lanolin or fish and is used to fortify soymilk and infant formula
natural flavoring: this could mean a whole multitude of things. The reason they don’t have to say exactly what it is is because it generally does not serve a nutritional role.

I used to get the wheatgrass shot at Jamba Juice whenever I happened to go there- which wasn’t all that often. I started to go more often- and then decided it would be a heck of a lot cheaper, and more convenient, if I grew my own. I bought a half-bed at Wild Oats for a mere $5.60. They say I should get 3 new sproutings before I’d have to buy a new bed. Or you can start from scratch, buy topsoil and peatmoss and the wheatberries and have unlimited wheatgrass. I’m still learning how it all works, but I can’t tell you how great it is to be able to wake up every morning and make myself a shot of wheatgrass. I get excited about it. You can even chew on the blades if you don’t want to take the time, or don’t have the means, to juice it. What a great way to start off the day. I’ve been feeling SO GOOD! And you only need 1 or 2 oz per day.

So what is it about this wheatgrass what makes it so good for you? Because it’s a living food, you get the benefits of chlorophyll. How do you know it has chlorophyll? If you recall from grade school science class, chlorophyll is the molecule that absorbs sunlight and makes plants bright green! You could actually have any type of grass you want. But wheatgrass is one of the faster, easier grasses to grow and tastes better than your lawn out back. My boyfriend asked if I was going to start eating grass from people’s lawns. I said I’d rather not risk the chance of that grass being a patch an animal had peed on.

Chlorophyll has been known for years and years to have amazing healing effects. Consuming wheatgrass cleanses your body of toxins, prevents illness, it’s regenerative, protective, prevents anemia, gets rid of body odor, and it’s even good for your pets! If you notice your dog chewing on grass in the yard- it’s usually an indication that they aren’t feeling well and need the cleansing effects of the grass to make them feel better. And it’s so efficient. 15 pounds of wheatgrass has the same nutritive value as 350 pounds of ordinary garden vegetables! It contains 13 essential vitamins. It’s like taking a multivitamin. But you’ll gain more benefits because it’s a whole food versus a supplement, which isn’t always absorbed properly. Other super healthy greens include buckwheat lettuce and sunflower greens.

I’m reading a book now called The Wheatgrass Book. Buy it or check it out at the library. You’ll be blown away by all the great things Ann Wigmore has to say about wheatgrass. And it has instructions on growing your own wheatgrass at home. Ms. Wigmore didn’t start taking wheatgrass until she was 50 and was having health problems, including a bad case of colitis. She started chewing wheatgrass and juicing it, and eating more live foods. Her health improved, her colitis eventually cleared up entirely, her energy level skyrocked, her weight improved… and she’s not trying to sell a product so she really has a reason to lie about it. Wheatgrass has amazing effects upon the elderly. I’m trying to get my grandma to consume wheatgrass because she has many health problems. Apparently she avoids fresh foods now (probably due to the spinach scare- she’s quite paranoid) so I may have to resort to whole food supplements with her. There’s a multivitamin called Alive! Whole Food Multi that I like quite a bit. Instead of your basic synthetic supplement, it’s straight from whole foods. So though it’s not quite as good as live foods, it’s still pretty good!

There are people who are cynical. And all I can say is I know it makes me feel better. I’ve got more energy and my acid reflux is much better. I had some candy last night on Halloween and it made me feel just awful. I don’t even like candy anymore. I feel so much better when I’m eating fresh foods and drinking wheatgrass. You just have to decide for yourself. But there’s a reason so many people have switched to raw foods. It’s just healthier.