A Movie That Changed My Life

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About 14 years ago, I walked into a movie screening hoping to be entertained, informed, and maybe inspired.
What I didn’t expect was that I would be veganized.

But that’s exactly what happened.

The movie’s depiction of the suffering of the animals and people involved in animal agriculture, coupled with its profound message of transformation and hope, literally opened my mind and heart. I remember exiting the movie in a kind of daze; then calling my partner and telling him, “I’m vegan.”

That movie was the acclaimed Peaceable Kingdom … Continue reading →

Eight Easy and Delicious Ways to Eat More Veggies in 2017

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Nutrition-packed vegan diets have been shown to prevent or fight obesity, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. And, if you’re worried about protein, don’t! Vegan diets give you plenty. In fact, The American Dietetic Association says veg diets are appropriate for, “individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.”

And, of course, when you eat vegan, you’re not only helping yourself; you’re helping the the planet (animal agriculture being a major contributor to climate change), and the animals. It’s a win/win/win!

Fortunately, we’re living in a kind of golden age of … Continue reading →

New Vegan Options in Kzoo!

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Every month Kalamazoo gets a bit more vegan! Below are some great new restaurant and food options from our friends at Bigbee Coffee, Natural Health Food Center, Sawall Health Foods, and Water Street Coffee Joint. Plus we’re happy to announce two new local vegan-friendly restaurants: Chau Haus and Maru Sushi.

Join our Facebook group for fun discussions of food, animals, movies, current events, and all things vegan.

Please remember to put your holiday dollars where your vegan heart is. A gift certificate from one of the dozens of vegan-friendly restaurants and other businesses listed on our … Continue reading →

I Can Haz Vegan Flu Shot?

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It’s that time of year again‭! ‬The time many of us roll up a sleeve and get‭ “‬stuck.‭” ‬But did you know flu shots‭ ‬aren’t vegan‭?

Vegans‭ ‬do‭ ‬their‭ ‬best to not use any products derived from an animal‭ (‬like‭ ‬meat,‭ ‬dairy,‭ ‬leather,‭ ‬etc.‭)‬,‭ ‬or services in which animals are exploited‭ (‬like circuses‭)‬.‭ ‬So how come‭ ‬flu‭ ‬shots aren’t vegan‭?

Flu‭ ‬vaccines are‭ ‬inactivated flu viruses that,‭ ‬once injected into you,‭ ‬spur‭ ‬your immune system‭ ‬into creating protective antibodies‭ ‬without actually causing‭ ‬any‭ ‬disease.‭ ‬That means that,‭ ‬when you later do actually encounter a live flu virus,‭ ‬your body is … Continue reading →

Kalamazoo’s Ultracyling Champ: “I feel more energetic and healthier eating vegan.”

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I’m thrilled to introduce you to Vegan Kalamazoo’s own Valerie Litznerski, who, a couple of weeks ago, won the Tejas 500 ultracycling race and so is currently the reigning female U.S. ultracycling champ. And she did it all on the power of plants! Valerie was kind enough to let me interview her, and I’m sure you’ll find her as inspiring as I did!

What is ultracycling?

Ultracycling races are 100 miles or more.  The UMCA has a series of races throughout the country and several international races that range from 100 … Continue reading →

So Lucky to be in Kalamazoo!

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We Kalamazoo residents are lucky in so many ways—we get to live in a great town with great culture, sports, and other amenities, in a great part of the country.

tuttleWe’re also lucky to have a great pool of local vegan knowledge and talent, of the kind you usually only find in big cities. Last year we enjoyed top-notch speakers on veganism and religion, veganism and social justice, and animal law, among other topics.

And now we’ve got an … Continue reading →

Tues, Sept 20 @ 7:00 pm: Bestselling Vegan Author Will Tuttle Speaking at WMU!

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tuttleVegan Kalamazoo is thrilled to announce that on Tuesday, September 20, Kalamazoo will be hosting a true vegan visionary and celebrity, Dr. Will Tuttle. Author of the bestselling The World Peace Diet, Dr. Tuttle will be lecturing on Healing Our World: A Deeper Look at Food at The Wesley Foundation Student Center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

In his talk, Dr. Tuttle makes explicit the invisible connections between society’s routine abuse of animals and our broad range of problems—psychological … Continue reading →

Wild Ginger Restaurant Review

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Wild Ginger is a contemporary Asian restaurant, offering delicious Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai dishes. In addition to many traditional favorites, they develop their own unique dishes. They also have a full bar. Wild Ginger is located in the D&W mall complex on Romence Road, just west of Westnedge.

barThey offer several tasty options that either are already vegan or can be customized to be vegan. Most (but not all) of … Continue reading →

Eating Vegan On Vacation!

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It’s getting easier and easier to eat vegan while on vacation. A couple of years back, my partner and I found a vegan cafe in REALLY rural Colorado, for example; and last year (wonder of wonders!) we found an amazing all-vegan ramen restaurant right smack in the main Tokyo train station. (Only problem was that the lines were always long!)

Here are some suggestions for finding vegan food on your travels:

  • Use Google. Specifically, search on: “vegan DESTINATION NAME.” Typically some restaurants will pop up, but also many times you’ll get … Continue reading →