The Vegan Option - Vegetarianism: The Story So Far

How does animal exploitation increase the emergence of new diseases? With the world fighting a vicious new pandemic, Ian asks a front-line physician, an epidemiologist, a public health expert and activists about how new diseases spill over from other animals, and how factory farming and the wildlife trade raise our vulnerability. Play or download (42MB […] The post Spillover Diseases: Covid 19 and other Zoonoses. With Jonna Mazet and Aysha Akhtar first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Radio times summary.  Episode 9: Renaissance Old medieval certainties are cracking under the combined assault of new sciences and rediscovered classics. It’s an age when “natural philosophers” combine scientific discovery with philosophical treatises, and when their Republic of Letters transcends political boundaries in the name of free thought. It’s the age of Descartes, whose mechanical philosophy […] The post VegHist Ep 15: Liberation. Veganism, hippies, and the animal rights movement. With Sam Calvert and Maneka Gandhi; at London, Cambridge, and Bangalore first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Radio times summary.  Episode 9: Renaissance Old medieval certainties are cracking under the combined assault of new sciences and rediscovered classics. It’s an age when “natural philosophers” combine scientific discovery with philosophical treatises, and when their Republic of Letters transcends political boundaries in the name of free thought. It’s the age of Descartes, whose mechanical philosophy […] The post VegHist Ep 14: Diet Reform. On consumerism, lebensreform, and Gandhi; with Ramachandra Guha; at Sabarmati Ashram, India first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In the late nineteenth century, the new vegetarian movement is intertwined with other struggles – including Victorian reformers, the Indian reaction to British colonialism, and most importantly, slavery. Episode 13: The Vegetarians After their foundation in 1847 and 1850, the vegetarian societies in Britain and America rose swiftly faced new challenges. Dr Adam Shprintzen, author of […] The post VegHist Ep 13: The Vegetarians. Abolitionism, colonialism, and Victorian reformers; with Julia Twigg and Bhaskar Chakraborty. In London first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In the 1800s, overlapping circles of utopians, mystics, and romantics in both Europe and America develop arguments against meat until “vegetarianism” finally becomes a real movement.  Episode 12: Radicals & Romantics In the aftermath of the American and French revolutions, the sects and philosophies that embrace a “vegetable diet” multiply – from ecstatic cult to puritan crusades, to utopian […] The post VegHist Ep 12: Radicals & Romantics. Bible Christians, Grahamites, and Transcendentalists; with Adam Shprintzen and Derek Antrobus; at Deerfields, Fruitlands, and Salford first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

The philosophers of Paris discuss reports of Indian vegetarianism, question the morality of eating animals, and inspire radicals who preach vegetarianism from the barricades of the French revolution. Episode 11: Enlightenment Ian traces a winding path of vegetarian inspiration from the personal diary of an Indian vegetarian working for the French, to the darkest corner of British imperial propaganda, […] The post VegHist Ep 11: Enlightenment. Colonial India, Voltaire, Rousseau, and the French Revolution; with Partha Chatterjee, Christophe Martin, and Renan Larue; at the Black Hole of Calcutta, and Musée Rousseau Montmerency first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

When printing lets ordinary people access a world of ideas, including Indian vegetarianism, some European radicals and diet gurus begin to oppose meat-eating. Episode 10: Revolution In England, the 1600s are a century of revolution. The artisans and yeomanry are picking up books – and the New Model Army is picking up pikes and muskets to turn the […] The post VegHist Ep 10: Revolution. English civil war, diet gurus, and the poetry of Sensibility; with Tristram Stuart and Anita Guerrini; at the Ahmedabad Panjrapole first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Ancient philosophers inspire Renaissance thinkers to challenge the old hierarchy of man over beast.  Episode 9: Renaissance Old medieval certainties are cracking under the combined assault of new sciences and rediscovered classics. It’s an age when “natural philosophers” combine scientific discovery with philosophical treatises, and when their Republic of Letters transcends political boundaries in the name […] The post VegHist Ep 9: Renaissance. Descartes, Montaigne, Gassendi, and the "sparing diet"; with Jean-Charles Darmon, Deepak Kumar, and Justin Begley; in Paris, France first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

When conquerors who profess Islam or Christianity rule over Indian vegetarians, the conversations about food ethics go both ways. Episode 8: Contacts Ian discovers the ecstatic dancing and singing shared by Sufis and Hindus – including westerners singing Hare Krishna in London’s main shopping street.  In Delhi, he finds out about the inquisition that started with […] The post VegHist Ep 8: Contacts. Indian Sufism, Bhakti, Akbar, Portuguese Christianity, and Gaudiya Vaishnavism; with Sanjukta Gupta; in Agra, Delhi, and London first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In the Middle Ages, three very different monastic orders spread from the Mediterranean to the South China Sea, surrounding themselves with lay believers and challenging the norm of meat-eating. Episode 7: Heresies A string of religious groups across medieval Eurasia shared one common belief: that this world was a terrible place; and to escape its cycle of rebirth and […] The post VegHist Ep 7: Heresies. On Chinese Buddhists, Cathars, Bogomils, Islam, and Manichaeans; with Vincent Gooseart, John Arnold, Jason BeDuhn, and Ven. Chueh Yun; at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, in London first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In the first millennium CE, Indian vegetarianism advances from an ascetic fringe to a mainstream high-status lifestyle. Episode 6: Hinduism How did vegetarianism permeate Indian society? Ian tracks the changes in India’s religious life during the first millennium, following the vegetarian strands of the tapestry that we now call Hinduism. Ian travels to a temple to Vishnu in […] The post VegHist Ep 6: Hinduism. On Indian Vegetarianism, Vaishnavism, Satvik, and Mahayana Buddhism; with Sanjukta Gupta, Deepak Anand, and Ranjan Garavu; at Ananta Vasudeva Temple, Bhubaneswar and Nalanda Mahavihara first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

As the British public make their biggest decision in a generation, Ian asks Kerry McCarthy MP about the potential impact of Brexit on animals. Vegan MP on EU Referendum In this special short extra edition of the Vegan Option, Ian catches up with longstanding vegan MP, and main official opposition spokeswoman on farming and the environment, […] The post Vegan Politicians: Kerry McCarthy MP on Brexit first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In the eastern Roman Empire, several faiths and philosophies agree on one thing; that you need to eschew flesh to live a life of the spirit. Episode 5: Flesh & Spirit Not all Romans celebrated pagan sacrifices or the bloodthirsty arena. Some Romans followed the semi-mythical vegetarian Pythagoras, or neoplatonist philosophers who preached a vegetarian contemplative life. […] The post VegHist Ep 5: Flesh and Spirit. On Egyptian monasticism, Early Christianity, Plutarch, Neoplatonism, and Manicheansim; with David Grummet, Nicholas Baker-Brian, Michael Beer, and Fr. Abouna Yostas St. Athanasius first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In the largest ancient Indian empire, at the height of its power, its Buddhist king advocates for animals in his edicts, and tries to change India for good. Episode 4: Ashoka In the fourth century BCE, the śramaṇa movement (anti-violence anti-ritual ascetics) has produced three religions: the vegetarian Jains, the freegan(ish) Buddhists, and the mysterious (and now vanished) Ājīvikas. […] The post VegHist Ep 4: Ashoka. On India's animal advocate Buddhist king and the spread of the śramanas; with Bharati Pal and Suchandra Ghosh; at the Kalinga rock edict, India first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In Ancient Greece, vegetarianism belongs to a secretive subculture – amongst the mystery religions of Orpheus and the musical mathematical cult of Pythagoras. Episode 3: Pythagoreans The Greek philosophers knew about vegetarians. But they were part of cults associated with the mythical figure of Orpheus, and the guru of harmony and number – Pythagoras. The people […] The post VegHist Ep 3: Pythagoreans. On the Cults of Orpheus and Pythagoras in Ancient Greece; with Hugh Bowden, Michael Beer, John Wilkins, and Armand D'Angour first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Ian travels to the tree where the Buddha is said to have achieved enlightenment, and explores the paradox of his early followers’ attitudes to vegetarianism. Episode 2: The Middle Path Of the many monks of the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha, only one has become a global household name. Buddhism will spread ahimsa to the ends of the earth, and […] The post VegHist Ep 2: The Middle Path. On Siddharta Gautama, and Buddhism; with Rev Varasambodhi Thera, Peter Flugel, and Richard Gombrich; at Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya, India first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

In the Ganges plain in Northen India in the middle of the first millennium BCE, the idea of “ahimsa” – non violence – emerges. Episode 1: Ahimsa Ian visits the intellectual hub of iron age India – the Kingdom of Magadha. He discovers a subculture of vagabond philosophers that developed two world religions; and the vegetarian order […] The post VegHist Ep 1: Ahimsa. Mahavir, the Jains, and other śramaṇas; with DN Jha, James Serpell, Richard Gombrich, & GC Tripathi; at Veerayatan, Rajgir, India first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Digital Vegans: The Tab As the internet transforms the media landscape, how can vegan organisations and businesses survive and thrive? In the midst of the crowdfunding campaign for Vegetarianism: The Story So Far, Ian McDonald interviews Stephanie Redcross of Vegan Mainstream. Play or download (23MB MP3) (via iTunes) This show is an update to Digital Vegans, in […] The post Digital Vegans: Picking up the Tab, with Stephanie Redcross of Vegan Mainstream first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Palm oil is everywhere - from cooking oil to soap to vegan margarine. Equatorial rainforest and peatland are cleared and replaced with serried ranks of oil palm trees (Elaeis guineensis). The whole biodiversity of Borneo and Sumatra is threatened by habitat loss, particularly the iconic Orang Utans. Some vegan activists say no product that kills this many animals can be considered vegan. But is palm oil really worse than anything else? Can poor countries like Malaysia and Indonesia develop without it? Is there a sustainable solution? Environmentalist Catherine Laurence helps disentangle the thicket of issues. Hear academic experts Eric Lambin and Robert Greenland; vegan baker Ms Cupcake; primatologist Georgina Ash; vegan MP Kerry McCarthy; the boss of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and vegan Indonesian palm oil activist and Miskin Porno lead singer Daniek Hendarto. The post Palm Oil: with Catherine Laurence, Eric Lambin, Orangutan rescuer Daniek Hendarto, RSPO SG Darrel Webber first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

From Jonathan Swift's talking horses to Star Trek's Vulcans, and from HG Wells to Doctor Who, science fiction has tackled the big questions about our relationship with other animals. Join the experts who work at the junction of literary criticism and animal studies to discover the themes in famous books, film, and TV - as well as the cult sci-fi stories that wrestle with food ethics, the boundaries of humanity, and alternative ways of living. The post Science Fiction and Animals: from Jonathan Swift and HG Wells to Star Trek and Doctor Who; with Sherryl Vint, Robert McKay, and Tara Lomax first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Erin Red joins Ian McDonald as they investigate what vegans should feed cats, respond to listener comments, and discuss the ethical conflict between our cats and the animals they'd very much like to eat. Ian McDonald interviews Eric Weisman, the controversial boss of Evolution Diet pet food. The post Cats: Ethics. With Erin Red, Evolution Diet's Eric Weisman, and vets Lorelei Wakefield, Andrew Knight, and Jean Hofve first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Three experienced veterinarians with experience of vegan cats say whether and why they think cats can thrive on a vegan diet. Jean Hovfe argues - out of bitter experience - that cats need meet. Andrew Knight advocates a vegan diet for cats - if you do it right. Only Lorelei Wakefield has published a peer-reviewed study to try to discover who is right. Hear them all discuss if cats have a vegan option. The post Cats: Can they be vegan? With vets Lorelei Wakefield, Andrew Knight, and Jean Hofve; and special guest Erin Red first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Rough edits of extended interviews - such as this one with Dr Julia Minson - will now go into the podcast feed (used by iTunes and Stitcher) as well as the website. The post Extended interviews on iTunes, starting with Dr Julia Minson first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Ian travels through South East Asia from equatorial island to the far north of Thailand, discovering the vegetarian threads running through the region, talking with restaurateurs, and finding some great vegan food. The post South East Asia: Finding Vegan Food in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

What is "judgement"? How does it really affect the relationships between vegans and others? What can scientists say about it? And how do vegan activists react to the charge? Dr Julia Minson explains the science. Marla Rose explains exactly how Bacon Loving Hipsters Can Kiss Her Vegan Ass. And Colleen Patrick-Goudreau discusses the psychology and experience of "judgemental vegans". The post Judgemental: with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Dr Julia Minson, and Marla Rose first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

London Olympics: Closing Update As the athletes celebrate their victories and defeats, and the Spice Girls rock the closing ceremony, we look back over the Olympics and update you on the vegan stories behind the games. This show: We catch up with the vegan stories behind the Olympics, like Sandra Hood, Pogocafe, and Frys Ian […] The post London Olympics: Closing Update with Vx, Animals in the Opening Ceremony, and Vegan Food first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Kara Lang holds the record as the youngest woman ever to score a goal in international soccer - but her passions also include vegan cupcakes. Now retired from football, she took time out from her busy schedule as part of Canadian station CTV's Olympic team to talk to me about her story, touring, and the vegan mentor she improbably found in her own national squad. The post London Olympics: interview with Kara Lang, vegan Olympian, Canada soccer team first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

Athletes from across the world are coming to East London - where we produce the show - but what are the vegan perspectives on the Olympic games? We talk to Sandra Hood, the Olympic torch bearer who wrote the book on raising vegan children; Ian visits the father and daughter who are supplying the Olympic games with the vegan option; find out what the staff in the nearest vegan cafe to the games think of it; and update you on the stories with a vegan perspective - Venus Williams, the Chinese volleyball team, and the Opening Ceremony. The post London Olympics first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

How do they make vegan cheese that stretches and melts? Why is cheese such a challenge for new vegans? Can Ian convince anyone who makes cheese to share their secrets? What's the past, present, and future of vegan cheese. And if you brought together the leading vegan cheeses from Europe and the Americas - products that - like Redwoods Cheezly or Vegusto in Europe and Daiya in the Americas - aren't even sold in the same country, who would win? The post Vegan Cheese: Casein, Casomorphins, and the Daiya Redwoods Vegusto Taste Test first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

We took the show on the road to VegfestUK to find out how vegan parents met the challenges of raising children vegan in a non-vegan world - such as what they told their children about how the rest of the world treats animals. Ian talked to Mair Perkins - who featured in case studies of vegan babies last century - and to Ruby Roth, who has defended her children's book "Vegan is Love" on US Networks from Fox to NBC. And Diana talked with an adorable vegan family on their trip to VegfestUK Bristol. The post Born Vegan at Vegfest UK, with Ruby Roth, Mair Perkins, and a studio audience first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

What is it like to grow up vegan in a non-vegan world? We hear three stories of vegan childhood: Rosemary- appeared as a baby on a BBC programme about veganism in 1976 Elishama - grew up in the Hebrew Israelites, a religious community trying to rebuild the lifestyle of Eden Andrew - the son of veteran animal activists The post Born Vegan: from 1976 UK TV to the Hebrew Israelites, three very different vegan childhoods first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

A future with cheap lab meat could be drastically different - for humans and animals. How would it work? And is the development of this technology good for animals? Ian talks to Nicholas Genovese, a PETA-funded scientist working on the stem cells that could make up what he calls cultured meat. Diana asks two vegans, transhuman philosopher David Pearce and activist Jordi Casamitjana, why they are for or against in vitro meat; and reveals the results of her survey. Will vegans and meat eaters ever be able to get beyond the "ick" factor of cultured meat? The post Lab Meat: Can in vitro meat save the animals? With Nicholas Genovese, David Pearce, and Jordi Casamitjana first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

A thousand years ago, Al-Ma'arri was writing Arabic poems of extreme complexity, promoting a rational ideal and most remarkably, making an ethical case for veganism. We tell the story of his life in conversation with fellow vegan rebel poet Benjamin Zephaniah. The post Rebel Poet: Benjamin Zephaniah discusses the life of Abul ʿala Al-Maʿarri (أبو العلاء المعري), the medieval Arab vegan philosopher poet first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

How has the digital revolution changed being vegan? We talk to Eric Brent, founder of leading vegetarian restaurant finder Happy Cow. Diana reviews smartphone apps. Ian finds out how the digital revolution changed his local vegan group in London. The post Digital Vegans: with Happy Cow founder, iPhone apps, London Vegans, and Kerry McCarthy MP first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

This season of peace and goodwill, in our special Christmas show, we ask whether there will ever be peace on Earth. Steven Pinker, author of "Better Angels of Our Nature", says that human violence has decreased over the centuries, in some respects including violence to other animals. We talk to Professors Peter Singer and Gary Francione. The post Peace on Earth: will we ever have it? With Peter Singer and Gary Francione discussing Steven Pinker's "The Better Angels of our Nature" first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

At the end of our last episode, Kerry McCarthy MP said she'd asked for a debate in Parliament to mark World Vegan Day. She was successful, and at the end of business on November 1st the House of Commons debated veganism. I was watching from the gallery. In this episode, concluding our series of three about veganism in politics, we give our account of the debate. We explain what's going on, who everyone is, and tell you which of the MPs who spoke against is officially the least sexy Member of Parliament. The post Veganism in Politics: The British Parliament Debates World Vegan Day first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

The three vegan Members of the British Parliament (MPs) answer your questions. Are they afraid about how voters will react to their veganism? And what's the food like at the House of Commons? The post Veganism in Politics: Chris Williamson MP, Cathy Jamieson MP and Kerry McCarthy MP answer your questions first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

We profile the handful of people who combine veganism with politics at their country's national level. I went to the UK Parliament to meet Britain's three vegan MPs. What was their path to politics? And I took with me questions from their counterparts in the rest of the world. The post Veganism in Politics: Chris Williamson MP, Cathy Jamieson MP and Kerry McCarthy MP with questions from Dennis Kucinich and Maneka Gandhi first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

We start our show at the beginning - when folk choose the vegan option. In this case, for a month, challenged and supported by London Vegan Campaigns. I talk to mother Ananthi and middle-aged couple Bryan and Cliff. What challenges will they come across? And will they last the month? The post The Pledge: the London Vegan Campaigns challenge to go vegan for a month first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.

This is a small introductory snippet to let folk who get our podcast in iTunes or other podcast readers check that it’s working – and the first hint of our theme tune. The post A very small sneak peek. first appeared on THE VEGAN OPTION radio show and blog.