Word of the Day: Vegan

veg•an   [vee-guh n]
-noun
A vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet.
source: dictionary.com

It’s a word that many people are familiar with, especially animal advocates, and one that has been popping up in the media much more these days.

You may recall that Oprah recently embarked on a "21-day cleanse" inspired by Kathy Freston’s book, Quantum Wellness. As part of Oprah’s cleanse and becoming a "conscious eater," she has omitted all animal products from her diet and talks about her experience on her blog (along with offering some fabulous recipes!)

But Oprah isn’t the only one touting a vegan diet. During an interview with CNN’s "American Morning," hip hop mogul Russell Simmons sings the praises of a vegan diet stating, "the consumption of animals causes more harm to the environment than all the forms of transportation put together," and, "I don't think when they said dominion over the animals they meant the abuse of 10 billion farm animals every year, which is what we do here in America." Sing it, Russell!

So there’s the environment, the cruelty, and oh, let’s not forget our health.

On the front page of The Cleveland Dealer yesterday, the article, "Ex-surgeon Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. espouses a noninvasive cure for heart disease," talks about making yourself "heart attack proof" by omitting meat, fish, dairy or oils of any kind from your diet. The article reads, "Drug companies are in fierce competition to find a cholesterol drug that does what Esselstyn argues can be done better through diet. The call to attack artery-clogging plaque naturally is a challenge to the medical profession and an unspoken threat to the bottom line of the medical industry."

So what's everyone waiting for? Here’s to our health, the environment, and most of all, to the end of 10 billion farm animals suffering each year.

Thanks to Dawn Watch for circulating these articles!