Texas Veg Foundation’s mission is to demonstrate the health, environmental, and animal welfare benefits of plant-base diets through the use of free public education events, educational resources and lectures. Our Resource Page provides educational resources, links, and information focusing on the health, environmental, and animal welfare benefits of plant-based diets.  Whether you are concerned about global warming or diabetes, in search of cruelty-free, sustainable  products, looking to help animals in unacceptable living conditions, or just looking to learn what is available to you in your community, our resource page will help you find the tools you need to make informed decisions that’s best for you and your family!

And if our resource pages are not enough, our Texas VegFest site has a dedicated Go Meatless page with even more information!

TEXAS VEGFEST GO MEATLESS RESOURCE PAGE

Health

• Texas has a health problem. We’re ranked 34th in cardiovascular deaths; 33rd in diabetes, causing over 5500 deaths; 29.5% of Texans reported high blood pressure in 2017, which is lower than in years past; we’re ranked 20th in high cholesterol, 36.1% of Texans reported having high cholesterol in 2017; and ranked 8th is obesity with 33.6% of Texans were reported as being obese in 2017, and 33.7% in 2016; along with these drastic statistics, Texas ranks 50th in uninsured with only 16.9% of Texans being insured in 2017, making it even more important to have access to local healthy foods.
• 11.4% of Texans have been diagnosed with diabetes, and another 500,000 have yet to be diagnosed.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Texas, and the rest of the nation.
• The good news is that a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains helps with conditions like osteoporosis, hypertension, and certain types of cancer.
• “Strong evidence shows that healthy eating patterns are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moderate evidence indicates that healthy eating patterns also are associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancers (such as colorectal and postmenopausal breast cancers), overweight, and obesity.” – Dietary Guideline for Americans 2015 – 2020, The Science Behind Healthy Eating Patterns Chapter 1 – Key Elements of Healthy Eating Patterns 

Click the image below for more helpful health resources:

Environment

• Texas is the top cattle producing state in the United States.
• All that cattle comes at a high cost for the environment, including about 18% of greenhouse gas emissions ¹, 55 percent of erosion and sediment, 37 percent of pesticide use, 50 percent of antibiotic use, and a third of the loads of nitrogen and phosphorus into freshwater resources in the United States, much of that concentrated in Texas
• You can see the enormous amount of waste all these cattle produce in the aerial photograph of a Texas cattle feedlot at the top of this section. ² These waste lagoons endanger nearby water sources.
• As recent as December 2015, meatpackers in Dallas were charged with dumping pig blood into the Trinity river.

Click the image below for additional environmental resources:

Compassion and Animal Welfare

• These same factory farms that have such a heavy toll on our environment and on our health also place animals in unacceptable conditions of crowding that don’t allow animals to walk, stretch their limbs, or even turn around.

Click the image below for more resources on cruelty-free products, animal sanctuaries near you, and ways YOU can get involved to help animals!

Making a Difference

It’s important to keep in mind, that one person’s choices can make an enormous difference. You can make an even bigger difference—for your health, for the environment, for the animals—by eating fewer animal products! It all starts with your next meal. Keep posted here on our education page, our social media, AND our Texas VegFest Go Meatless Page!  on ways YOU can make a difference!

• • Texas Veg Foundation Facebook: www.facebook.com/TxVeg

• • Texas VegFest Facebook: www.facebook.com/TxVegFest

• • Texas VegFest Instagram: instagram.com/txvegfest

• • Texas VegFest Twitter: twitter.com/TxVegFest