VegBang.com

If you live in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Washington, you may soon notice a new television commercial featuring talk show host Montel William’s fifteen-year-old daughter.  According to news reports, Wyntergrace Williams recently completed taping a television ad that emphasizes the need for public schools to offer vegetarian options to students by amending the Child Nutrition Act.

“Some us don’t eat right,” Wyntergrace reportedly says in the ad.  “Fast food, junk food - sometimes, even our school lunches have too much fat and cholesterol.  More than 80% of Americans believe that vegetarian meals should be available in schools to children who want them, a recent survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation found.”

The television ads are not the only step that the young Miss Williams has taken toward promoting vegetarianism and healthy eating.  In fact, she has paired with Dr. Neal Bernard, who is part of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and has paid several visits to Capitol Hill in an effort to urge Congress and the President to join in efforts to fight childhood obesity by helping schools serve more vegetables, fruit and low-fat vegetarian foods.

Right now, the ads are slated to only run in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington during children’s shows, news shows and during “The Ellen DeGeneres show.”  But, who knows?  Even if you don’t live in one of those areas, the spots may very well make their way to your neck of the woods.

Are you interested in following a vegetarian diet, but you aren’t certain how to get started?  If you are someone who has been freely consuming meat on a regular basis, making the switchover to vegetarianism may seem impossible.  But, the reality is that thousands of people practice vegetarianism and, if you follow a few simple steps, making the switch won’t be as difficult as you might think.

Tip #1:  Take it Slow

Rather than trying to cut meat out all at once, you might want to slowly transition to a vegetarian diet.  This way, it won’t seem quite so difficult.  Many people don’t realize that there are actually different “degrees” of vegetarianism, but you might want to consider stepping your way up to cutting meat completely out of your diet.  Some of the variations of vegetarianism include:

•  · Flexitarianism - a flexitarian still eats meat, but makes a conscious effort to reduce the amount of meat he or she consumes
•  · Semi-Vegetarianism - someone who practices semi-vegetarianism excludes red meats while eating a limited amount of fish, poultry and seafood
•  · Pollotarianism - a pollotarianist does not eat mammals, but still eats poultry and fish
•  · Pescetarianism - when practicing pescetarianism, you do not eat mammals or birds, but still include seafood in your diet

Once you work your way down to being a pescetarianism, it will be much easier to make the jump to vegetarianism.

Tip #2:  Get Educated

More than likely, you have already started doing research regarding the benefits of vegetarianism.  After all, there must be some reason why you have decided to take this step.  Nonetheless, you should continue to educate yourself so you can remember the reasons why you have decided to make this change to your diet and lifestyle.

Tip #3:  Surround Yourself with Support

Your friends and family may not understand why you want to become a vegetarian, which means they might not provide you with much support in your efforts.  Seek out support groups and other vegetarians so you can get the encouragement you need while also picking up more tips and ideas for living a vegetarian lifestyle.

Tip #4:  Gather Recipes

Start gathering recipes before you go vegetarian.  This way, you will have plenty of tasty foods and meals to select from so you will be less likely to “miss” eating meat.  You will also need to gather recipes so you can be certain to continue eating healthy and to get enough protein in your diet while following a vegetarian lifestyle.

Tip #5:  Enjoy Ethnic Cuisine

Indian, Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisine tends to offer many vegetarian options.  Experiment with a little ethnic cuisine and restaurants specializing in these foods and you just may be surprised by the tasty dishes available!

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is better known simply as PETA, has long been trying to spread the word about veganism.  As such, the organization’s Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs, Bruce Friedrich, has been speaking in front of groups around the country in order to educate them about the global impact of eating meat.  More specifically, he has been stressing how veganism can help reduce famine as well as the wasteful use of precious fossil fuels.

In an effort to draw attention to the importance of veganism and vegetarianism, the organization is currently working to put on a demonstration on the steps of the Capitol.  With all of the attention the H1N1, or swine flu, virus has been receiving, the organization has submitted an application to set up a hog-farm on the Capitol’s steps.  This display is to include 3500 gallons of pig manure and urine with a fan blowing the scent around.  It is also to include undercover footage of what takes place at hog farms.  In this way, the organization hopes to show the cruelty that takes place on the farms while also demonstrating the conditions on these farms that could have helped lead to the spread of swine flu.

What are your thoughts regarding this display?  Do you think it will be successful at convincing people to become vegans or vegetarians?  Do you think the Capitol Police will accept the application for this display?  With the government’s recent attempts to get away from calling it “swine flu” because of the effects it is having on the pork industry, PETA may not be successful with its application.  At the same time, one of the things that makes our country great is our right to demonstrate peacefully.  It will be interesting to see if this demonstration actually makes it to the Capitol.