11. RESOLVED: LESS ANIMAL PRODUCTS
The lives of people who have their names in the spotlight definitely grab our attention. I heard that Liam Hemsworth, who starred in The Hunger Game, has become vegan. Since he is well known, we hope his choice will make the plant-food diet more acceptable.
Liam is a 28 year old Australian who became a vegan about 5 months ago. His dietician had told him that eating red meat would be the best diet for his kind of body. He followed the plan, but he did not feel well.
Woody Harrelson, a costar on the show, introduced Liam to his own diet, which has been vegan for more than twenty-five years. Liam decided to give the plant food diet a try. He was amazed how well he felt compared to the diet he had been eating. As he learned about the cruelty to animals on our factory farms, he was happy to no longer be contributing to their suffering.
Liam makes this statement, “There are no negatives in eating this way. I feel nothing but positive mentally and physically. I love it. I feel like it has a domino effect on the rest of my life.”
We are proud of this young star, who was influenced to eat plant food by his friend on the show. Now we pray he will hear about one of the most famous vegans in the world, which could bring real inspiration to stay on the diet.
This well-known man is Daniel, and we read about his plant-food diet in the first chapter of the book that bears his name. The king wanted to feed his prisoners food from his table to make them strong and healthy to work for the kingdom of Babylon. Daniel knew the food was much like the unhealthy diet of our good land—filled with fat, sweets and meat. He asked for plant food. At the end of the testing time, his face appeared much fairer and his intelligence excelled ten times that of the other men who ate the king’s rich food. Daniel’s lifestyle gave him such superiority that he held a high position in the palace through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius.
As we begin the New Year, we should ask ourselves if the diet Liam and Daniel chose might also make us healthier physically and mentally. Our bodies were created to eat plant food according to Genesis 1:29. The change to plant food makes almost every person feel better, as Liam testified. There is much less disease among vegans and their life span is six years longer than their meat-eating counterparts.
For all who determine to embrace this lifestyle, here is the New Year’s resolution: “TAKE AWAY THE ANIMAL PRODUCTS AND BRING ME PLANT FOOD. I WANT A FAIR COUNTENANCE AND A WISE BRAIN!”
BLACKEYED PEA SOUP FOR NEW YEARS
3 c dried peas thoroughly washed
3 T olive oil
3 large onions diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 t oregano
1 T brown sugar
1 t salt
2 tomatoes diced
6-8 c water
Cook peas in water about one hour. Saute onions and
garlic in oil. Add all seasonings, then stir into the peas.
Add the tomatoes and brown sugar. Cook 10 minutes.
Serve with cornbread.
APPLESAUCE CORNBREAD
1 T yeast
2 T honey
2 c warm water
1 c applesauce
1 t salt
2 c whole grain cornmeal
1 c quick oats
1 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c unsweetened coconut
Mix yeast, 1/2 cup warm water and honey together. Let set
until yeast foams. Mix cornmeal, whole wheat flour, oats,
coconut and salt together. Add yeast mixture and 1 1/2 cups
warm water. Mix thoroughly and let rise 20 minutes in a warm
place. Whip the batter and pour into a sprayed loaf pan or
muffin tins. Let rise 10 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or
until browned.