WELCOME Hello and thank you for taking a look inside this guide! We, the Animal Advocates of South Central PA, created it for you to use as a compass on your path towards a kinder, healthier life. We are an organization promoting a conscious and compassionate lifestyle which can be summed up in one word: Veganism. It isn’t like other vegan guides, though. It’s tailored for individuals living in South Central Pennsylvania (SCPA) to make your transition as easy as possible. We will lightly touch on the reasons to go vegan (but we highly suggest doing research elsewhere!) and how to make those changes. We will cover everything from where to go out to eat on a Friday night, to what cruelty-free body care brands to check out, and everything in between. We would like to thank you for considering this impactful, wonderful lifestyle, and hope we can assist you on your journey! After exploring this guide, please visit our website, which has many helpful resources, including local restaurant lists, blog articles, and links for further reading. www.animaladvocatesscpa.com Follow us on social media to see what we are up to! “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”. -Maya Angelou 2 Vegan Guide for South Central PA WHY GO VEGAN? For The Animals | For The Environment For Our Health | For Everything! There are many reasons people go vegan. In some cases, it’s for the environment. Animal agriculture is a significant ecological problem, contributing more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector. A plant-based vegan diet is the most environmentally-friendly diet. It saves over 1,000 gallons of water every day and lowers your carbon footprint by 50%*. A well-planned vegan diet is also one of the most healthful for people. The current healthcare system is plagued by chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, cancer), the majority of which are impacted by poor diet and inactivity. Those following a vegan diet experience a fraction of the chronic diseases as their meat-eating counterparts (source: Adventist Study). Additionally, the World Health Organization has categorized processed meats including bacon, sausage, deli slices, and ham as Group 1 carcinogens — which means that there is strong evidence that processed meats cause cancer. The most prevalent reason to go and stay vegan is for the animals. Nightmarish cruelty and violence are inherent in animal agriculture. Common (and legal) practices include chicks having half of their beaks cut off without anesthesia; seals and dolphins being strangled in fishing nets; and piglets having their teeth ripped out and being castrated without anesthesia. Treating our fellow earthlings like this is unnecessary and can’t be justified. It’s also important to remember that even the “humanely” and organically raised animals still end up being killed years before their natural deaths in horrific and unfathomable ways. * Pimentel, David & Pimental, Marcia. “Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment”. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. September 2003. vol 78. no 3 660S-663S Animal Advocates of South Central PA 3 HOW DO I GO VEGAN? SCPA Vegan Mentoring Program We offer a free mentor program for anyone interested in starting their vegan journey! We match you with a mentor in your immediate area to help with whatever you need during your transition. It might be grocery shopping, meal ideas, home care and cosmetic product swaps, recommending specific resources, or just someone to talk to for support. We even have mentors that can assist with nutrition and weight training. Best of all, our mentors are passionate about veganism and have a great desire to help. If you would like a mentor, or want to become a mentor, contact us at [email protected]. Product Switches There is much more to living vegan than eating plant-based foods. Animal-derived products are found in many everyday items, such as clothing, shoes, accessories, and cosmetics. While it’s not practical to donate your old clothes right away, it’s easy to select vegan options as you add to your wardrobe. Millions of cows, horses, cats, dogs, sheep, ostriches, alligators, snakes, and other animals are used for their skins. Wool, feathers, silk, cashmere, suede, mohair, and leather are some of the animal products found in clothing and apparel. Luckily, new animal-friendly and eco-conscious materials are constantly being developed! Mushroom and pineapple leather are a few recent advancements in the fashion industry. Animals are not only used in the fashion industry; they are also still used for product testing and research studies. 100 million animals are killed every year in U.S. testing laboratories alone. Animals used in labs include guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, primates, dogs, and cats. 4 Vegan Guide for South Central PA HOW DO I GO VEGAN? Just as with clothing, making the transition to vegan makeup and cosmetics is not difficult, but it does take time. As you run out of bath, beauty, and cleansing items, swap them for animal-friendly options. Many brands are easily accessible, which makes transitioning to cruelty-free products a piece of vegan cake! You can find cruelty-free vegan brands at places like Target, grocery stores, and pharmacies. The term cruelty-free means a product has not been tested on animals–it does not necessarily mean it is vegan. If a product is vegan, it will often have the word vegan on it or a vegan-friendly symbol. Symbols to look for when searching for products: Animal Advocates of South Central PA 5 WEEKLY MEAL PLAN Need ideas to start eating vegan? Here is a simple meal plan to get you started. Breakfast Lunch Dinner Spaghetti with Gardein Burrito with refried beans, meatballs, garlic bread Sunday Frittata* and fresh fruit salsa, corn, lettuce, onion, made with Earth Balance, guacamole and rice and a side salad Smoothie with banana, Veggie burger with fixings Tofu and veggie stir fry with Monday strawberries, dates, chia and fries rice or udon noodles seeds, and almond milk Oatmeal topped with chia Tofurky sandwich with Chick’n and Broccoli Tuesday seeds, raisins, cinnamon, pretzels or chips Alfredo* and berries Salad with a variety of Pizza with shredded Daiya, Toast with mashed avocado, Wednesday veggies, chickpeas, and veggies, and Beyond Meat salt, and pepper, hot sauce Hampton Creek dressing Crumbles Cereal with plant milk and BLT with Lightlife Smart Lentil and Sweet Potato Thursday berries Bacon and Vegenaise Stew* Pita stuffed w/ hummus, Gardein Fishless Filet & slaw Friday Tofu scramble with toast cucumber, lettuce, tomato, tacos sprouts, and spinach Field Roast Frankfurter Waffles and Sweet Earth Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Saturday and roasted potato Benevolent Bacon vegetable gravy wedges Dried or fresh fruit, energy Veggies with hummus, Nuts, seeds, dark Snacks bars, coconut yogurt with vegan friendly cookies and chocolate, popcorn granola Nice Cream* * - See Recipe on following pages 6 Vegan Guide for South Central PA FEATURED RECIPES BAC’N, POTATO, AND GREEN ONION FRITTATA Servings: 6 Ingredients • 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil CROCKPOT LENTIL AND • 1 Onion, finely chopped SWEET POTATO STEW • 4-5 Green Onions, chopped, with the green and white Servings: 6 parts separated Ingredients • 4 cloves Garlic, minced • 3 qt Crockpot • 2 medium Potatoes, shredded • 2 large Carrots, chopped • 2 tsp Salt, divided • 2 stalks Celery, chopped • 1/2 tsp Pepper, divided • 1/2 Onion, diced • 2 lb Firm Tofu, drained • 2 large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed • 2-3 tbsp Soy Sauce, to taste • 1 cup fresh Green Beans, chopped • ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast • 1 bag (16 oz) Lentils • ¼ cup Vegan Bacon Bits (Fun fact: Most store-bought • 2 cloves Garlic, minced bacon bits are vegan!) • 8 oz can Diced Tomatoes Instructions • 4 cups Vegetable Broth • 1/2 cup Water • Preheat oven to 350 degrees • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. • 1 tsp Salt Add the onion and white part of the green onions, • 1/2 tsp Pepper saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir around for • 1 tbsp Curry Powder another 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the potatoes, 1 tsp. of salt, and 1/4 tsp. of Instructions pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes, flipping the potatoes • Combine all ingredients into the crockpot and give it a regularly until they are browned. good stir to combine. Cook on the low setting for about • Add the remaining salt and pepper, the tofu, soy sauce, 12 hours. and nutritional yeast to a food processor and blend until • It can be assembled and refrigerated the night before the mixture is creamy. Fold in the bacon bits, green part cooking. of the green onions, and the fried potato/onion mixture. • The recipe can be doubled for larger sized crock pots. Pour everything into a large oiled pie or tart pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until center is firm. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, cut and serve. WHERE TO BEGIN? Start with dishes that are familiar to you and think about how you might adapt them to be meatless and/or dairy-free. Animal Advocates of South Central PA 7 FEATURED RECIPES CHICK’N AND BROCCOLI ALFREDO Servings: 6 Ingredients • 1 box Fettuccine NICE CREAM - 3 WAYS • 1 large head of Broccoli Each recipe: 1 serving • 1 bag Gardein Chick’n Strips Ingredients - Tropical • 1.5 bags Daiya Mozzarella style shreds • 2 Frozen Bananas • 3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast • Fresh or Frozen Mango and Pineapple, handful of each • 1 32 oz container unsweetened Rice or Almond Milk • Splash of plant milk, coconut prefered • 1 tsp Salt • Topping - Coconut flakes • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder • 1 tsp Black Pepper Ingredients - PB-n-S’mores • 1 tbsp Oregano • 2 Frozen Bananas • 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning • 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter • 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg • Cocoa powder or chocolate plant milk Instructions • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta • Splash of Plant Milk, if using cocoa powder according to package directions.