Veganism: Why It Should Always Be About The Animals

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Foreign welcome

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to In Behalf of Animals. I'm Nicole Arcello.

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Happy New Year to all of my animal loving friends.

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We are a week into veganuary, so I

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want to talk to you all about health.

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No, not your personal health, but the health of your activism.

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As an almost 16 year vegan who started my vegan

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journey for health reasons, I am telling you explicitly

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to stop talking about vegan for health and

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only talk about vegan for animals.

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Look, your health is a personal choice. Maybe you fought off

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in reverse disease with your vegan diet, but ultimately I

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believe you are here listening to me because you want to

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start or strengthen your advocacy for animals.

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So how can we effectively advocate for them without talking

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about them, without making it only about

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the animals? As I mentioned,

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my personal journey toward veganism started out for health reasons.

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But within a couple of weeks of research, that shifted

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to animals. After learning that my participation in eating

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animals and their products was contributing to the most horrible

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and needless suffering, I decided there was no going back.

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I couldn't take part in the suffering and killing of innocent animals.

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We don't need to eat their bodies for our bodies to live and thrive.

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There's a lot to unpack here in this discussion.

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Now I can't talk about this, I suppose, without giving

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a little away about my personal health history.

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I struggled with weight my whole adult life. It didn't start

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for me as a child though the eating habits may have. I'm five foot

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tall, which could be one issue, and I freaking love food,

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which is probably the other issue or maybe the whole issue. I want

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to say that I have always believed that leading with animals and

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animals only not getting into discussions about health benefits is

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the way. I have always advocated for veganism,

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but it's not. I think us

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vegans sometimes get that defeatist feeling

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that people don't care about animals. So we should talk to

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them about how a vegan diet will make them skinnier,

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healthier, clear up their skin. And whatever else we may or may

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not have accomplished ourselves by being vegan,

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we sometimes feel that we need to tap into the selfishness

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of the human species. They only care about themselves,

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it seems right. So we have to face that head on. Show them that

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if they stop eating animals, it will benefit them in every way they ever dreamed.

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Well, my friends, I think this is bad for ourselves

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and really, really, really bad for the animals. First,

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we have to find ways to not have that defeatist feeling at all.

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And I believe this is the reason why this podcast exists,

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to learn how to effectively advocate for animals and

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to know you're not alone in fighting against animal

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suffering. And second, as I mentioned

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in the last episode, vegans get sick.

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The truth is we vegans can have high blood pressure,

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diabetes, cancer. And the

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truth is also that people can reverse disease and

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lose weight and be healthy while still eating small amounts

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of meat and animal products. We need

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to face both of those truths.

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Now I'll reveal I'm currently eating a 95, I would

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say percent whole foods, plant based, obviously diet.

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So I am 50 years old and feeling, feeling more energized than ever.

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I have recently decided to stop my use of alcohol entirely.

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Some of my friends, I'm realizing, are probably just hearing that for the first time.

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Um, but I'm taking control of my health and fitness and prioritizing

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it. That's where I'm currently at. And I feel like this is a

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very personal thing, but I've been vegan over 15

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years. My weight has gone up and down. I have been

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whole food plant based before even for

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a number of years and then stopped. Okay, I'm telling you

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all of this because I'm stressing that I'm not talking to people about it.

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That's not what this episode is about. I'm not on my social media

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saying to, you know, eat the way I'm eating. I'm saying

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don't eat animals. But recently I've been watching

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some videos, interviews with whole food plant based doctors and

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proponents. And what I suspected to be true was revealed in

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a recent video. A doctor was talking about the holidays

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and how to talk to your family about your new eating

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your whole food plant based, um, which is probably also no salt,

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no oil, no sugar too. And how to navigate the holidays,

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dealing with unsupportive family and friends.

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So this was all about health,

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but it was also about going off the quote diet.

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So the thing I always say, if you go vegan for health, what's stopping you

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from eating a piece of meat here and there? What's stopping you from

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having a few bites of non vegan cake or dairy ice cream

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at the ice cream stand on the hottest day of the summer? The answer

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is nothing, nothing stopping you from doing that.

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The doctor I was listening to was saying that people on this diet

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remember it's whole food plant based sos. No sugar,

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salt or oil or no sugar, oil, salt, I had to look that one

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up. They may choose to recreational

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eat. So think recreational drugs, social drinking,

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you know, going off plan, eating something you know isn't good for you, but you

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do it anyway. So they have

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that choice to just eat non vegan food.

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Well, that sums it up, right? You can cheat on a diet,

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you can have a little slip up and go right back on it,

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right? Even environmental vegan,

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you know, which is probably another discussion. But what's going to stop

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you from having that occasional non vegan meal or treat

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or whatever? And it definitely

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won't keep you on the plan, which is being vegan.

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But being vegan for the animals, you cannot cheat on them.

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You can't put aside those images in your head of their eyes pleading

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for help, asking why this is happening to them when they did

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nothing wrong.

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Look, vegan infection isn't about food.

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But it's not not about food, right? I had a

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vegan bakery for years. I served up the most indulgent fat,

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sugar laden desserts and made so many

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vegans and non vegans for that matter, very happy.

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I will still eat those treats though,

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occasionally, even though my current journey anyway

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is healthy eating. But I know that I will never,

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and I know without a shadow of a doubt that my vegan for the

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animals friends will never go

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back on their vegan ethics.

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We're vegan for the animals. And if you need another

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example, what about that revolving door of celebrities that

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went vegan for health and went back to being non vegan?

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Their bodies were craving meat or whatever the excuse was.

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What was keeping them there anyway?

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The animals obviously weren't a part of that equation.

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So wherever your personal vegan health is at,

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whether it be whole food, plant based, or eating every processed vegan item

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in the supermarket, and there are so many, thank goodness,

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do it. I support you.

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It's all good for me. As long as you

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aren't eating animals. The rest is your personal choice on

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how you want to live your life, as long as no animals are hurt in

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the process. So think about your activism

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as we embark on this new year. If you want to start out

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strong for your health, do it. I support you. But start out

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strong for the animals too. Talk about them, their suffering,

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their horrible lives, and teach people

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to be vegan for them.

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As an ethical animal rights, vegan and foodie,

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I strongly believe in food activism. Share those vegan recipes,

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bring vegan cookies to work, store bought and homemade.

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Take photos of your vegan meals and post them on social media.

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But talk about the animals while you do it.

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And for those health questions we receive from family and friends, you know,

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the sudden interest in our protein levels, a simple answer can

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be, you know, I get my blood work done and checkups and I'm

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doing great. There's protein in all plants.

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I'm not deprived at all. You should try it then you won't be

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hurting animals or I love the way I eat and that

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I don't take part in the needless suffering and killing of animals.

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You can start out by talking to friends and family about their pets

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and their love for animals. Send them petitions that you sign and information

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from your favorite organizations. Tell them this is very meaningful

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to me and I would like you to consider signing this petition or reading this

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article. Can you help me take action and help this animal

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start out small and you never know where it might lead.

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Thank you for listening and I would love to hear from you. If you

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have a thought or comment to share, you can do so on the in behalf

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of animals YouTube version of this episode. In the Comments in

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Spotify. You can comment there as well, or on our website

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or on our social media. We can even revisit

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this topic if you have questions or thoughts to add.

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Until next time, be a voice for the animals

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every chance you get.