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:

 

 

Harmonious Grub: Vegetarian Awareness Month Questionnaire: Londale

This is an interview from Irenicineri, a woman who runs the blog Harmonious Grub. She is doing a series of interviews for Vegetarian Awareness Month, and this one is of my husband, Londale. He was the one that started me on my vegetarian path! Read the Q&A and you'll see why!

via harmoniousgrub.blogspot.com

VAM Questionnaire: Londale

Londale Theus Sr. is a professional working actor who resides in El Segundo, CA. He's wonderfully talented on set and wonderfully entertaining and fascinating off camera. His wife, Martha Theus, runs the vegetarian blog 21st Century Vegetarians, and will be answering questions later on. :)

 ___________________________________

Q When did you become a vegetarian?

A 1982, I’ve been a vegetarian 28yrs.

Q Why did you become a vegetarian?

A For spiritual reasons: personal growth and spiritual development.

Q In what way has being a vegetarian enhanced your spiritual development and personal growth?
A I make a moral and spiritual decision every time I put food in my body, thus the veggie diet along with my daily spiritual practice helps me to continue to expand my consciousness and stay connected to source. It makes my meditation easier, because I'm not making my body a graveyard for dead animals, thus allowing me to experience a deeper peace, inner focus, and divine awareness. Finally I understand that we live in a moral universe where cause and effect, and action and reaction is a part of life. So I treat "all" life with as much compassion as possible and choose not to create unnecessary suffering by eating non-vegetarian food and help the world have a little more light, joy, and peace. Honor all life, do no harm!

Q What is the most common misunderstanding you face about being vegetarian?

A That you can’t be strong and athletic on a vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian Athletes: Who says you have to eat meat to be a successful athlete? (ESPN)

 

For those of you who have not read ESPN's John Keri's article, Who says you have to eat meat to be a successful athlete? it is definitely worth your time. In this article, Keri profiles several professional athletes, including Prince Fielder (pictured), Tony Gonzalez (NFL Player), Mac Danzig (Mixed Martial Arts Fighter), and more.

What I found most interesting about this article is that of the athletes featured, many of them started down the path of vegetarianism as a method to improve performance and recovery, however, after learning the truth behind the meat industry and the horrors of factory farming, their choices became rooted in a desire to live a more compassionate, environmentally friendly lifestyle.

This is how our family approaches life - it is possible to make a conscious choice every time you eat, without sacrificing flavor, nutrition, or even athletic performance.

The Vegetarian Athlete - an Interview with Londale Theus II

This is a two-part interview with my son, Londale II, who is an athlete and has been a vegetarian since birth. He answers many common questions and dispels many common myths about athletic ability and vegetarianism. Be sure to watch the end of Part 2 for a sneak peak of his acting skills!

For more information on vegetarian athletes, including nutrition and scientific information, please visit our "sister" site, TheVegetarianAthlete.com.

Martha Theus is the author of Throwin’ Down Vegetarian Style! available on Amazon.com. For more ideas and information about vegetarian living, visit her website at www.21stCenturyVegetarians.com, and TheVegetarianAthlete.com.

Top 5 Questions

In these videos, I answer the Top 5 Questions I've been asked over the years about why I'm a vegetarian, including:

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?
2. Why are you a vegetarian?
3. What do you eat?
4. Where do you get your protein?
5. Do you cook EVERYDAY?

Got a question you'd like answered or a recipe you'd like to see demonstrated? Just email me or visit my site and leave a comment!

Enjoy!

Martha Theus is the author of Throwin’ Down Vegetarian Style! available on Amazon.com. For more ideas and information about vegetarian living, visit her website at www.21stCenturyVegetarians.com, and TheVegetarianAthlete.com.

Diabetes: The Silent Killer

In the past, cases of juvenile diabetes were nearly always the result of Type 1 diabetes, which is the result of a medical condition in the body that prevents the production of insulin. Although this form of diabetes is very aggressive and there is no known cure, it can be managed with proper diet and medication. Thankfully, this type of diabetes is rare – less than 10% of those with diabetes have Type 1. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes is on the rise, especially among our children due to poor diet, physical inactivity, and obesity.

Why do we care? Why is diabetes so dangerous? According to a recent report issued by the State of California and the Governor’s Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity, some of the gravest effects of diabetes are: