Toronto Veg Blog

The Veg Holiday Market is coming November 24th!

As the days get shorter and colder, we’re all in need of a little pick-me-up. We have a remedy for that!   For the 3rd year, the Toronto Vegetarian Association is excited to host the Veg Holiday Market – a fully vegan market with gifts that give back! This year’s event features some great new features in addition to our usual offering of over fifty vendors and hours of programming in the Stop classroom:   • We are happy to welcome you for an extended day this year! Browse the marketplace from 11 am till’ 8 pm. There’s time for supper, shopping, programming, and everything you’d like to do. • Want an alcoholic bevy while you shop? You’re in luck! This year for the first time we’re having a licensed event! Sip on a local beer, wine or cider with your food. Have a seat in the heated courtyard and chat with your friends. • Vegan Marshmallows? Check! Fire? Check! Roasting marshmallows over the fire? Check! Come to the vegan marshmallow roast in the courtyard once the sun has set. It’s free with admission, and the marshmallows are donated by Dandies, proudly available at Organic Garage. • Want to make… Read More

Filed under: Community Featured Post News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog

Raio: A Life Lived in the Moment

“Raio was graceful, full of peace and love right to the end. As she lay dying, I wept, and she comforted and consoled me, assuring me that it was alright. Then she was gone.” Many people will recognize Raio and her sister Maia as longtime mascots of Veg Food Fest and ambassadors for compassion and veganism. This is her story. Article care of Kenneth Butland It’s a sunny summer day in Nova Scotia, and Emre Uzun is enjoying a drive in the countryside with his new best friend, a one-year-old Golden Retriever named Raio. The year is 2005, and his heavy fog of depression—after many years of struggle and with Raio’s help—has finally lifted. A song by Nellie McKay comes on the radio: Yeah, it’s just me and my dog Catchin some sun We can’t go wrong “Raio looked out the window, soaking it all in, totally in the moment,” Emre recalls. His eyes well up as he recounts what happened next: “As the song played, I was filled with a profound sense of peace. I felt so alive and connected. It’s difficult to explain.” Emre also credits Raio with inspiring his decision to go vegan and become an animal… Read More

Filed under: Animal Profile Front page post News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised

They can run, but they can't hide from veganism

Care of Barbi Lazarus, Donor and Volunteer Coordinator If your New Year’s resolution is to encourage more people to go vegan, it seems you’re not alone. Saturday, January the 5th, the first weekend of 2019, witnessed a thrilling exhibition of vegan-related stories from mainstream media outlets. It seems everyone and anyone can’t stop talking about the fact that veganism is here to stay and is going to be a dominant force in society and economics in 2019 and beyond. CBC dedicated 10 minutes to the plant-based revolution. As ‘meat-eater’ Elmer Kim states: “I’ve got to tell you… This is absolutely going to revolutionize the food industry. The beef industry, if they don’t get this right, they’re going to be like the taxi industry. They’re going to look like Blockbuster because this is coming down like a tidal wave.” Click here to watch this clip which is sure to excite you about the progress we are making! This was accompanied by both an online article and a clip on CBC Radio promoting Veganuary, that included comments from me about the 7-Day Veggie Challenge and how it can support people doing… Read More

Filed under: Front page post News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised

Tips For Getting Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables

Care of Emily Wood, RD Emily Wood is a plant based Registered Dietitian, wife and mom of 2 young, energetic boys that are thriving on a plant based diet. She operates her own coaching business, where she helps people transition to the plant based lifestyle to revitalize their energy and vitality, so they can reach the level of ultimate health and happiness in their lives. She holds a Plant Based Certificate from the T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. Join her Plant Based Lifestyle for Busy Moms Facebook Group to connect with other inspiring, health-bound moms. Let’s face it, most kids don’t LOVE their veggies. When my kids first started eating solid food, I always offered a wide variety of vegetables, which they usually gobbled up! But as they grew and started developing a taste for other things, it got more challenging. The good news with kids is that they need a lot of calories to meet the demand of their rapidly growing bodies. But with that said, you still don’t want to be feeding them fat, sugar, and refined foods all day. I have found a few ways that have really helped me to… Read More

Filed under: Eat Veg Nutrition Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised

The Tipping Point is Here

Care of Barbi Lazarus, Donor and Volunteer Resources Coordinator I’m starting to feel like a broken record, but I just can’t stop sharing my excitement about all the signs that we’ve reached a tipping point with the popularity and awareness of vegan food in Toronto. Earlier this year, popular local Italian chain Il Fornello launched their huge, plant-based menu complete with arancini balls and agnolotti in “butter” sauce, and not long ago we learned that famous local chef David Lee decided to close his popular omnivorous restaurant Nota Bene to replace it with a second location of the vegan restaurant Planta. But make sure you are sitting down because you won’t believe the news I’m about to share with you. You may have already heard from us that the Toronto Vegetarian Association won Best Food Activist Group in this year’s Now Readers’ Choice Awards. We are so humbled, grateful, and excited about this incredible achievement! (Thanks so much if you voted for us!). But we weren’t the only vegan establishment that went home with an award this year. Check out this list of plant-based businesses that won in a dozen categories! And again, we’re not just talking about winning in a vegan category. These businesses won best… Read More

Filed under: Food and Restaurant News News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised

The Cherry on Top… Recap of the 34th Annual Veg Food Fest!

The Cherry on Top… is that it’s Vegan Your Recap of the 34th Annual Veg Food Fest!   Thank you to everyone who made it out to the 34th annual Veg Food Fest at Harbourfront Centre this weekend! We hope that you enjoyed all of the delicious food, unique drinks, and so many informative presentations and workshops across the weekend. Our loyal community keeps the festival growing year after year and we at the Toronto Vegetarian Association are incredibly grateful for your support! What was your favourite part of the weekend?   Our Lisa Grill Compassion for Animals Award Exhibit was the launching point of the festival weekend and attracted many viewers across the weekend. The TVA Store shared this space with an amazing selection of books from our speakers and on a wide range of topics related to the plant-based movement. There was also some great merchandise on offer – reusable water bottles, totes and tanks to celebrate the festival weekend in style. If you missed your opportunity to visit the bookstore, you can come and explore our TVA Resource Centre at 17 Baldwin… Read More

Filed under: Community News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog

Vegan Halloween Candy

Gone are the days when you thought you had to forgo handing out candy on Halloween because you feared there were no vegan options. Here is a list of vegan Halloween candy and other ideas for giving out to trick or treaters (or just enjoying for yourself of course). Maynards Candies: Sour Patch Kids, Fuzzy Peaches, Watermelon Slices, and Cherry Blasters Rockets Skittles Most plain salted potato chips and pretzels Twizzlers Sunkist Fruit Snacks Surf Sweets by Wholesome makes vegan candies too, which have been spotted at Bulk Barn! Sweets from the Earth: You can order individually wrapped mini cookies just for Halloween! Made Good: They also have mini Halloween granola bars that have been spotted at Costco!… Read More

Filed under: Front page post News Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised

Vegan Catering Addresses Veganism Boom In Canada

Guest post care of Jackie Edwards Delicious and nutritious plant-based meals are taking Canada by storm and to respond to the boom, there are now 232 restaurants that serve vegan-friendly cuisine in Ottawa alone. To keep up with what restaurateurs are calling a food renaissance, many of the 5,041 restaurants and caterers in Canada have embraced the trend, too. In 2015, approximately 12% of young Canadian consumers said that they are vegetarian or mostly vegetarian but this is just the tip of the iceberg, according to CityNews because more meat eaters are now transitioning to a plant-based diet. An upward trend Dalhousie University professor Dr. Sylvain Charlebois found that 2.3% of the country’s population are vegan while 7.1% are vegetarians. According to Charlebois, the 3.4 million vegan and vegetarian population will see stable growth in the coming decades as Canadians become more health conscious. Cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver have been seeing an upward trend when it comes to new vegan restaurants and catering services.  However, what truly signifies the shift is the fact that major restaurant brands such as Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and Chipotle now offer vegan catering. As… Read More

Filed under: Food and Restaurant News News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised

Welcome to Sarah Fay: TVA’s New Veg Guide Coordinator

Please join the Toronto Vegetarian Association to welcome Sarah Fay to the team as the new Veg Guide Coordinator. Sarah brings almost twenty years of experience designing print and web campaigns, and has also worked soliciting sponsors and advertisers, and acting as a sales rep. She has all sorts of tricks up her sleeve, including training in photography, and an MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management, with a keen attention to detail. Of course, Sarah fits right in with the team as a long-time vegan who is also mama to a cat and bunny. She is excited to work for an organization that aligns so well with her personal ethics, and we’re equally excited to work with her and see how the Veg Guide will continue to grow and evolve under her wing. Read More

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Vegan Personal Trainers in Toronto

Maximum Booty Is your veg lifestyle too intimidating for personal trainers in Toronto? Are you tired of hearing that you need more protein, vegans can’t build muscle. But bacon! Thankfully, Jonathan Hodgson has been a vegan personal trainer for years and has clocked thousands of hours helping clients build muscle and strengthen their joints through weightlifting, body weight training, and a body positive environment with feminist ideals at the forefront. He has studied under world-renown teachers from Ido Portal, Dr. Andreo Spina, and the Poliquin Group, and has certifications up the wazoo to have the tools to meet the needs of his diverse clients (from young athletes to seniors with knee and shoulder replacements). Jonathan is also a Main Street Vegan Alumni and a Gold Medal Bodies trainer! Get in touch and see how he can help you move better and live longer! 647-537-9382 or jonathan.m.hodgson@gmail.com Paul Landini Paul Landini is a fitness columnist for the Globe and Mail, who also offers training services out of the YMCA on College Street in Toronto. He has mentioned in past Globe and Mail articles that he is vegan! http://paullandini.com Fred Aubin Fred Aubin is a vegan… Read More

Filed under: Local Resources News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised