Desmond Bellamy
Australia, May 8, 2018
It is good to hear that the Turangawaewae Marae is going vegan for its 160th birthday celebrations.
Meals offered will include scrambled tofu burrito, an eggplant roti, smashed pea and macadamia cheese on toast.
The kitchen boss Glenda Raumati, who also runs a nearby health clinic, said that the changes were an effort to shift the eating habits of Maori, who are reported to have high rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Lower death risk
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that vegetarians and vegans enjoy a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, and lower body mass indexes, as well as lower overall cancer rates. Going vegan is not just beneficial for human health, though. It also reduces carbon emissions dramatically, and of course saves millions of animals from lives of terror and agonising deaths.
Other benefits
Going vegan means embracing the concept of non-violence, and in Aotearoa, which has the worst rates of family violence in the developed world, peace on the plate would be a great step towards peace in the home.
As Pythagoras said some 2,500 years ago: “For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”
Desmond Bellamy is Special Projects Coordinator at PETA, Australia, based New South Wales.
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Photo Caption:
The Ceremonial Gates of Turangawaewae Marae
(Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia)
