Written by Alisa Mullins
After Food Network star Paula Deen revealed that she has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and is now going to plug pharmaceuticals, PETA wrote to the queen of southern cuisine and urged her to trade in her chitlins for chickpeas. The side effects of a vegan diet are glowing skin, more stamina, and a slimmer figure. The side effects of taking drugs? Well, listen to the TV spots and count 'em!
In our letter, we pointed out that numerous studies have found that adopting a vegan diet can reduce or even eliminate the need for diabetes medications and reduces the risk of developing the disease in the first place. A groundbreaking study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that 43 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who ate a low-fat vegan diet were able to reduce their medications, compared to only 26 percent of those who followed the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association.
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with diabetes, check out Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes and also order one of our free vegetarian/vegan starter kits, which we've sent to Paula Deen along with a copy of Sir Paul McCartney's Glass Walls DVD. Who knows—maybe the girl from Georgia could team up with the boy from Liverpool to devise a "wild honey pie" suitable for diabetics and vegans.
Written by PETA
In a move that would have made horror film legend Vincent Price proud, PETA's "zombies" haunted patrons at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Cincinnati yesterday, just in time for Halloween.
Our enlightened undead let everyone know that flesh is for zombies and advised them to "eat grains, not brains." Many flesh-eaters used their brrrrraaaaaiiiiins and got information about going vegetarian or vegan.
If even zombies are urging people to bury their meat habit, you know that the stuff is gross. For meals that will bring your taste buds back to life, check out our hundreds of tasty meatless recipes.
And for more Halloween enjoyment, text "spooky" to 73822 to guide PETA's feathered friend Nugget safely through a zombie-filled haunted house. Text message and data rates may apply (see full texting terms and conditions here).
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Motorcycle engines roaring, 2,000 bikers gathered to show off their rides, listen to country music … and chow down on some vegan "beef" jerky at the annual Love Ride in California on Sunday. PETA's two sexy Lettuce Ladies could barely keep up with the demand as they handed out pieces of Primal Strips jerky and PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kits.
In addition to coming back for second helpings of delicious vegan jerky, Love Ride attendees were hungry for information about improving their own health and preventing cruelty to animals by adopting a plant-based diet. Don't be left in the dust: Check out our free guide to adopting a vegan diet today!
Written by Heather Faraid Drennan
You might expect to see gloomy angels descend to Earth during the end times, but yesterday in Oakland, California, two PETA angels were all smiles as they offered passersby a sweet treat ahead of California resident Harold Camping's predicted apocalypse. It was a flurry of halos, wings, and lingerie as our angels for animals handed out vegan cookies and nearly 500 vegetarian/vegan starter kits.
In addition to providing delicious vegan victuals to help make the eve of the rapture as pleasant as possible, the angels reminded passersby that eating animal products supports hell on Earth for animals. Pigs, cows, and chickens are raised in cramped, filthy conditions before being crammed onto trucks and dumped at slaughterhouses where they suffer slow, agonizing deaths as they are hung upside down by their legs and have their throats cut while still conscious.
To make your last supper before the world ends a compassionate one, check out PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit. As one passing admirer said about our angels, "Vegan—is that what they are? I want to do that!"
No animals were arrested in the making of this protest, but yesterday in Zuccotti Park Liberty Square, a "pig," "cow," and "chicken" joined the Occupy Wall Street protesters to push for more corporate accountability. Our animals were at the center of a whirlwind of police, photographers, protesters, and intrigued passersby who stopped to read the animals' posters and pick up copies of PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit.
Bearing delicious vegan pizzas, the animals—representing 100 percent of the animals raised for food in the U.S.—brought attention to the fact that corporate greed is responsible for billions of animals' being treated like cogs in a meat machine rather than the intelligent, sensitive individuals they are.
On factory farms, pigs have their tails and testicles cut off without being given any painkillers; cows are fattened for slaughter on barren, filthy feed lots; and chickens are crammed by the tens of thousands into airless sheds, where their accumulated waste results in ammonia-laden air that burns their eyes and throats.
To opt out of the corporate abuse of animals, order your own free vegetarian/vegan starter kit and get busy breaking down the barricades to protecting animals, your health, and the planet.
Thank you, China! In a move that breaks with a tradition reportedly going back 600 years—when dogs barked, giving away the army's position—officials have canceled an annual Chinese festival in which 5,000 to 10,000 dogs are killed and eaten on the streets of Jinhua City. The cancellation follows protests by thousands of animal rights advocates. This is a wonderful move by the Chinese government, and we hope to see many more compassionate decisions like this in the years ahead.
Damhyojung | cc by 2.0
One protester described what he had seen at previous festivals: "I've seen the dogs being stabbed, strangled and even beaten into comas and thrown into boiling water. Some dogs woke up in the extremely hot water and they struggled, but the vendors kept pushing them, plucking their fur."
If this sounds horrifying, bear in mind that animals by the billions meet similar fates in American slaughterhouses every year. Improperly stunned cows, turkeys, pigs, and chickens have their throats cut while they are still conscious. The beating and intentional abuse of animals by farm workers is rampant. And pigs, chickens, and turkeys are often still alive when they are dunked into tanks of scalding-hot water to remove their hair and feathers.
Order your free vegetarian/vegan starter kit today and protect all animals from painful slaughter.
It might be the genesis of a new era in animal rights: Wearing nothing but her long, flowing hair, Angela Simmons—devout Christian, founder of Pastry, and niece of longtime PETA supporter Russell Simmons—made the poignant revelation that eating meat is wholly unholy in a new ad for PETA.
"I want to open people's eyes up. … If this is where I can find my niche to come and help, I want to help," she explained.
Angela unveiled the ad to an enthusiastic crowd at Manhattan's Paramount Hotel last night, including her uncle Russell, whose vegan lifestyle inspired her own, Ami James, Simone Reyes, and other animal-loving VIPs, while enjoying music by Samantha Ronson (who wore a "no fur" button all night).
Angela believes that God's creatures deserve love and compassion, not abuse on factory farms and painful slaughter. "I really want people to know what happens to animals … I think it's important we take action," she said.
You can follow Angela's advice and take action today by ordering a free vegetarian/vegan starter kit. And we promise it's not a sin to covet the delicious recipes you'll find on our Living page.
It's a hazy day here on the Right Coast. As I watch leaves fall and steam rise from my soy mocha, the mood is set for a lazy (yet highly skilled) meander through gossip rags for fun stuff. Here are my faves:
Thanks for stopping by! Catch you next time, and don't forget to hug all your vegetarian friends.
Written by Missy Lane
You didn't think we meant the couple from the Garden of Eden, did you? Naw. Another young pair, who just happen to be named Adam and Eve, joined other caring individuals in Orlando to school residents about McCruelty McDonald's. The fast-food giant refuses to improve conditions for millions of chickens, many of whom suffer broken bones or die in vats of scalding-hot water—while they are still conscious—on their way to becoming McNuggets.
Written by Karin Bennett
Chick-fil-A founder and lifelong Southern Baptist S. Truett Cathy wrote the book Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People, but at the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, PETA's "Jesus" and a "Chicken" were there to inspire people to eat no chicken—or any other animal.
PETA immersed convention attendees in our pro-vegetarian message, which is based on biblical teachings of love and compassion. "Jesus" carried a sign reading, "For Christ's Sake, Go Vegetarian," while the "chicken" reminded people that "Jesus loves me too." They also offered conventiongoers free copies of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit" as well as leaflets relating vegetarian living to Christian teachings.
On a related note, our Sexiest Male Vegetarian of 2009, Monty, grew up eating meat in a Southern Baptist household—until he saw the light and announced to his family that he refused to eat abused animals.
I'm a believer—that many conference attendees will alter their diets to be more compassionate by going vegetarian.
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If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.