Active Veggie is a Superveggie!
You don’t eat meat? Spread the message, change the world!
You are a vegetarian or, even better, a vegan. You know that you are helping animals, the environment and people with your food-choices in the most effective way. You surely want and are able to do even more! Think about devoting part of your free time to spreading your vision and your positive beliefs, in order to help yourself and others in your surroundings. Inform others about all the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Positive changes start with us. Therefore, eat various and healthy foods, engage in physical activity and, in general, take care of your health. In a nice and unobtrusive way, advertise your views on veg(etari)an living and eating - by wearing T-shirts or buttons, by putting bumper-stickers on your car with the message of veg(etari)anism on them… or do it in some similar way.
First of all, be proud, proudly present your diet and the reasons why you chose to do well by your health, the animals and your environment. It is important to further educate yourself about all the advantages of choosing a vegan diet, so you can educate others and be able to answer all questions. Be of service to the people who are interested in a veg(etari)an diet, be patient, kind, and at the same time be persistent and consistent in your views – regard the issues, even the provocative ones, as your chance to help others to change and improve their diet.
It is always practical to carry with you flyers or recipes that you can share with the interested parties. You can donate a book on veg(etari)anism, or veggie cookbook, to those close to you, and to your local library.
The best way to demonstrate the richness of flavor of a vegetarian diet is to organize tastings, treat your friends and colleagues at work and invite them to lunch or dinner. Offer to teach the interested parties how to cook a vegan meal. Give talks in your school, college, or the company you work for, and introduce veg(etari)an meals at least once a week (Green Monday); the menu for all employees could then consist only of foods of plant origin. If you are a member of a club or association, organize vegan meals or small snacks during meetings or gatherings of members.
In different social situations start talking about veg(etari)anism, using some interesting fact about food, health, ecology or otherwise. Mention your experiences, and tell people how good you feel - because of your diet.
Distribute DVDs with movies on veg(etari)anism, and you can organize a screening of a short movie on veg(etari)anism. Convey your knowledge to your children, and children of your friends, according to their age, because children are still unburdened with ingrained social attitudes and dominant dietary preferences, so they are more likely to understand veg(etari)anism and the naturalness of a plant-based diet.
Also, you can influence the shops, restaurants and institutions in your cities,ask them to promote a healthy diet based on foods of plant origin, and improve the veg(etari)an offer. Look for a rich and diverse range of restaurants and shops, and praise those who show goodwill, encourage them to attract people who normally eat foods of animal origin with the offer of vegetarian foods.
Write to cities and state institutions to promote a healthy vegetarian diet and to introduce one vegetarian day a week, such as the Green Monday. Write regularly to the media, demanding frequent publishing of articles on veg(etari)anism, and send them useful articles, materials, and your reviews and praises for the publications that speak up on veg(etari)anism, or nutrition in general.
Use the internet daily to promote veg(etari)anism, by sending interesting articles and e-mail links; share information through Facebook and other social networks, write a blog and act in many other ways.
Educate your vegan and vegetarian friends, and encourage them to be more active. Exchange experiences with them, and try to do something together. Support (financially, or by volunteering) the activity of a nonprofit organization that promotes veg(etari)anism.
Keep in mind that it is nice to live and eat as a veg(etari)an, but there is greater satisfaction and benefit to be gained by promoting human health, animal rights and nature protection. When information is shared with other people, you are encouraging positive changes in their lives.
So, start today, and change the world around you by your own example!