Vegetarian Statistics

Vegetarian Statistics	Data
Number of Americans who are vegetarian	7.3 Million
Number of Americans who follow a “vegetarian-inclined diet.”	22.8 Million
Number of Americans who are vegan	1 Million
Percent of kids age 8 to 18 that are vegetarians	3 %
Percent of adults who consider themselves vegetarians	10 %
Percent of people surveyed who said they are "definitely interested" in following a vegetarian diet in the future	5.2 %
Demographics of Vegetarians
Percent of female vegetarians	59 %
Percent of male vegetarians	41 %
Percent age 18 to 34	42 %
Percent age 35 to 54	40.7 %
Percent over 55	17.4 %
Length of time being a vegetarian
Percent who have followed a vegetarian diet for more than 10 years	57.1 %
Percent who have followed a vegetarian diet for 5 to 10 years	18 %
Percent who have followed a vegetarian diet for 2 to 5 years	10.8 %
Percent who have followed a vegetarian diet for less than 2 years	14.1 %
Reasons cited for being a vegetarian
Improve overall health	53 %
Environmental concerns	47 %
Natural approaches to wellness	39 %
Food-safety concerns	31 %
Animal welfare	54 %
Weight loss	25 %
Weight maintenance	24 %

Top Vegetarian Cities (Ranked by number of vegetarian restaurants)
1	Portland, Oregon
2	Seattle, Washington
3	San Francisco, California
4	New York, New York
5	Atlanta, Georgia
6	Washington, D.C.
7	Minneapolis, Minnesota
8	Austin, Texas
9	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10	Chicago, Illinois

Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/vegetarian-statistics/

Burger Aversion Therapy Video

The Decomposition Of McDonald's Burgers And Fries

Non-Vegan Ingredients

Sneaky ingredients that are not vegan-friendly

1. Casein

Casein is a protein derived from cow’s milk. Casein is often listed as sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, or milk protein.

2. Whey

Whey refers to the liquid that is leftover after milk has been curdled and strained. Whey is used to make dairy cheese (which you’d readily avoid) but can also show up in soy cheeses.

3. Gelatin

Unless you were raised vegan, you likely have fond memories of jiggly giggly bowls of Jell-O. The seemingly innocent treat is made with gelatin, which is derived from collagen in the skin and bones from animals. It is used as a thickener or gelling agent in a wide range of foods.

4. Urea

Not as rampant as casein or gelatin, urea is derived from animal urine. You’ll find it in some brands of pretzels. It is also used as a flavor-enhancing additive in cigarettes (need another reason to quit smoking?) and is found in skin cream, moisturizers, and hair conditioners.

5. Carmine

Derived from the cochineal insect, carmine is a “natural” food coloring which shows up on labels as “cochineal extract”, “carmine”, “crimson lake”, “natural red 4″, and “E120″.

Source: http://vegan.sheknows.com/2011/07/30/sneaky-ingredients-that-are-not-vegan-friendly/

Quote: Leonardo da Vinci

Cookbook Recommendation

Highly recommend two cookbooks by Denise Balcavage.  Here is a little bit about her from her blog:  The Urban Vegan

"The Urban Vegan is the author of The Urban Vegan, Celebrate Vegan, and 11 books for young readers. She has published recipes in VegNews, Vegetarian Times, Philadelphia Daily News, and Végéteriens, (France's first vegetarian magazine). She's been interviewed in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune, and has done cooking demos everywhere from New York to Paris. She lives in Philadelphia with her 3 cats, and tweets at theurbanvegan.

Watched PLANEAT

I watched this movie to celebrate 28 days being a Vegan.  Very good movie!  Highly Recommended.
http://planeat.tv/
Here is the Amazon description : "Where have we gone wrong? Why has the death rate from heart disease and cancer exploded in recent times? Why are the ice caps melting, the oceans dying and the forests being cut down as we produce the food necessary to support our burgeoning populations? Against a backdrop of colorful and delicious food grown by organic farmers and prepared in the kitchens of world-famous chefs, PLANEAT for the first time brings together the ground-breaking studies of three prominent scientists who have made it their life's work to answer these questions."  
Buy DVD

Day 28: Engine 2 Diet

WooHoo!   Made it 28 days!  Feeling great.  Juicing now to go further with fruit and vegetable intake.  My body really enjoying no meat, no dairy, little oil sub whole grains and phytonutrients.   Will power on!