21st Century Vegetarians Blog

Black Male Vegetarian: Londale Theus Jr. featured in Frugivore Magazine

Hello Everyone,

This week, my son, Londale Theus Jr. was also featured in Frugivore Magazine as part of their new series, Black Male Vegetarian. Check it out!

Black Male Vegetarian: Londale Theus Jr.

by Arielle Loren Jul 13, 2011

 

Name: Londale Theus Jr.
Age: 23
Occupation: Student/Actor
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: The Vegetarian Athlete

How long have you been vegetarian? And what inspired your journey?

I have been a vegetarian since birth. The majority of the things I eat are vegan, but more specifically I am a lacto-vegetarian: meaning that I have never eaten any animals or eggs whatsoever. My parents were the ones who inspired this journey because they were following a spiritual philosophy that emphasized a “worry-free diet”; basically not allowing the suffering of animals to contribute to our food. Naturally, being raised in this environment led to my beginning as a vegetarian, but I remain a vegetarian because this spiritual philosophy resonates with me and I will always feel this way of life is right for me.

Has vegetarianism enhanced your health? Why or why not? 

Vegetarianism has enhanced my health because there are so many benefits that it provides, even while being a basketball player for most of my life and playing Division 1 College Basketball. I never felt the sluggishness after meals that many of my teammates would feel after eating a steak or ribs. I was always one of the guys that was in the best shape on my team and my diet also allowed me to have more than enough protein while keeping cholesterol and other things very low; so I could build quality muscle and maintain a low body fat percentage by just eating normally. The thing that I love about the way I eat is that continue reading ...

 

Black Female Vegetarian: Martha Theus featured in Frugivore Magazine

Hello Everyone!

I was recently featured in an online series, Black Female Vegetarian, which is a new column in Frugivore Magazine. An excerpt of my interview is below. Be sure to check out the other women profiled in this series as well!

Black Female Vegetarian: Martha Theus 

by Arielle Loren Jun 7, 2011

How long have you been vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian? And what inspired your journey?

I’ve been a vegetarian since April, 1985 (26 years). I am lacto-vegetarian and do not eat meat, fish, poultry or eggs. I do eat some dairy products (rennetless cheese) but very infrequently.

I am a vegetarian for spiritual reasons, and became one after meeting my husband (we were just dating at the time). He introduced me to a way of living that included not taking higher forms of life in order to eat, understanding that there is a karmic price to pay for every action so if we want to make spiritual progress we should try to keep our karmas light.  

I INSTANTLY resonated with this message and went from a meat eater three times/day to a vegetarian overnight. The problem was that I LOVED soul food (I am from Detroit with southern roots) so I literally had NO IDEA what to eat. Since then, I have perfected our approach to vegetarian soul and ethnic food that everyone loves, my non-vegetarian friends as well.

Also, my two children (Kamaal – 24, and Londale, Jr. – 23) were both conceived and raised vegetarian and have remained so since birth. My son is 6’6″, weighs 200 lbs and even played Division 1 College basketball and has never eaten meat. My daughter played rugby in college and traveled abroad her freshman year (Costa Rica), and has never eaten meat. My husband was a cop for over 20 years and has not eaten meat since 1982. I think we may be one of the few if not the only African-American fully vegetarian family!

Has vegetarianism, veganism, or pescatarianism enhanced your health? Why or why not?

Click here to read the full article:

 

 

Meatless Mondays With Martha - Raw Vegetable Medley

 

Happy 4th of July!

I thought I'd add a simple raw (or mostly raw anyway) recipe that you may want to make a part of your daily routine. It's quick and easy (you know that's my style) and stays fresh and tasty for days in the refrigerator - even though it should not last that long if you are eating your daily requirement of raw fruits and veggies!

So, for this week's Meatless Monday we are demonstrating how to prepare a Raw Vegetable Medley. Our family makes a point to eat at lease half of every meal raw so I am always looking for ways to add variety. This is one of our favorites and the combination of vegetables you can use are endless. 

The recipe is below - want more ideas for Meatless Mondays? Visit our website's recipe page. Enjoy!

VEGETABLES:

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 head broccoli crowns
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 3 large tomatoes
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1 large cucumber

DRESSING:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon spike
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar