Nobody seems more obsessed by diet than our anti-materialist, otherworldly, New Age, spiritual types.  But if the material world is merely illusion, an honest guru should be as content with Budweiser and bratwurst as with raw carrot juice, tofu, and seaweed slime.

As a matter of strict logic, perhaps, there is no contradiction in taking an interest in animals on both compassionate and gastronomic grounds. If a person is opposed to the infliction of suffering on animals, but not to the painless killing of animals, he could consistently eat animals that had lived free of all suffering and been instantly, painlessly slaughtered. Yet practically and psychologically it is impossible to be consistent in one's concern for nonhuman animals while continuing to dine on them. If we are prepared to take the life of another being merely in order to satisfy our taste for a particular type of food, then that being is no more than a means to our end. In time we will come to regard pigs, cattle, and chickens as things for us to use, no matter how strong our compassion may be; and when we find that to continue to obtain supplies of the bodies of these animals at a price we are able to pay it is necessary to change their living conditions a little, we will be unlikely to regard these changes too critically. The factory farm is nothing more than the application of technology to the idea that animals are means to our ends. Our eating habits are dear to us and not easily altered. We have a strong interest in convincing ourselves that our concern for other animals does not require us to stop eating them. No one in the habit of eating an animal can be completely without bias in judging whether the conditions in which that animal is reared caused suffering.

Ultimately, living with compassion means striving to maximize the good we accomplish, not following a set of rules or trying to fit a certain label. From eating less meat to being vegan, our actions are only a means to an end: decreasing suffering.

What we choose to eat makes a powerful statement about our ethics and our view of the world -- about our very humanity. Whenever we choose not to buy meat, eggs, and dairy products, we withdraw our support from cruelty to animals, undertake an economic boycott of factory farms, and support the production of cruelty-free foods.

Regardless of any other beliefs we hold and however else we choose to lead our lives, each of us can decide to act with kindness and compassion. Making humane choices is the ultimate affirmation of our humanity.

First of all, I just want to make a distinction about who zaadz is serving. When we first came up with the idea for zaadz, we talked about creating a community for ‘spiritual’ people. Unfortunately, the word ‘spiritual’ normally conjures up a vision of groups of monks sitting in silent meditation or perhaps... a bunch of idealistic vegans.

Our big realization is that ‘spiritual’ doesn’t have to be put into a box (or a silo). We believe that spirituality is about following your soul’s purpose, whether that’s about doing yoga,  spinning poi or creating the next big thing on the web.

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons.  They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.  ~Alice Walker

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution.  Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.  ~Thomas A. Edison

Every day a parent asks, "When is your pediatric nutrition book coming out?"  Parents are eager for information.  They don't know what to feed their kids.  They know that the diet of their household and of their community are unhealthy, but they don't know what to do.  They are stumped because they want to make changes, but they don't know how to get their kids to like healthy foods.  This book has the answers.  Not only will it explain what a healthy diet is, it will show you how to implement the best diet for your children in such a way that they will love it, eat it, and adopt a healthy approach to nutrition that will last a lifetime.

American children are the heaviest worldwide, and they are getting heavier at a faster rate than other children around the globe.  This spread of obesity foreshadows an explosion in degenerative diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer waiting to erupt in our children's future.  Together we can stop this tragedy from ever happening.

Yesterday I saw a child wearing a T-shirt that said, "If you love me, don't feed me junk food."  I was delighted to see this, but I also know how difficult it can be to feed our children well, particularly when the foods that are most convenient and the most heavily advertised are often the ones we should avoid.  Joel Fuhrman's new book is a blessing, because it makes it so much easier.  It is excellent, and full of clarity, wisdom, and guidance you can trust.  It can indeed give you the power to shape your child's health destiny - John Robbins

Heart attacks... God's revenge for eating his little animal friends. 

Charles Darwin, naturalist and author (1809-1882) The Descent of Man

Even in the worm that crawls in the earth there glows a divine spark. When you slaughter a creature, you slaughter God.

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