UGLY by nature

The pharmacy of flowers! 🌻
By .

It was after Laurence Candy lost most of his herd to bovine that he decided he would no longer send to the slaughterhouse.

"It made me wonder if we can justify the industrial slaughter of sentient beings," says the 50-year-old looking back on the event in 2017. "As a society, we have to question this."

Since last year, Mr Candy has been working with a Scottish-based organisation called Farmers For Stock-Free Farming (FFSFF), which has been set up to support meat and dairy farmers who want to transition to animal-free agriculture.

He is now in the process of selling his remaining animals - 35 beef cattle - and concentrating instead on growing cereals such as , , barley and broad .

Mr Candy is also switching to "veganic production", which prohibits the use of manure, or any other animal product, to improve the soil. For this, he is working with a body called International Biocyclic Vegan Network, which promotes and certifies plant-based, farms around the world.

"It allows for two years to transition out of a livestock enterprise and establish suitable alternatives," he says. "This approach enables the farmer to have a suitable timescale to develop their business plans, without a financial impact."

Mr Candy adds: "I'm trying to add value. There's currently very few farmers growing veganically, but obviously is a growing trend in his country."

This call to reduce consumption, and a parallel increased interest in veganism, is replicated around the .

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61565233

Eat the rainbow! 🌈
By .

The Amazing Health Benefits of Zucchini

Protects your
Just like those carotenoids build up in the skin of the zucchini, they build up in our skin, too, when we eat carotenoid-rich produce regularly. That buildup shields our skin from UV rays and pollution—according to scientific studies—and also may slow skin aging by helping to keep skin hydrated and elastic.

Good for your heart
Research suggests that eating foods rich in carotenoids could slow or lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The key phrase, though, is eating carotenoid-rich foods, not taking supplements. The potassium you get in zucchini is also good for your blood pressure, as is the fiber for general heart health.

Strengthens bones
In a study of young adults, those who had high levels of carotenoids in their eyes (a way for researchers to measure long-term dietary carotenoid intake in people) also seemed to have denser, stronger bones. This suggests then that regularly eating carotenoid-rich foods—like zucchini—could be good for our bones. And, an animal study found that lutein specifically stimulates bone formation.

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/article/7805709/the-amazing-health-benefits-of-zucchini/

Did you know this?! 🧐
By .vegan.

Police and activists in the Chinese city of Shaanxi have rescued almost 400 dogs on the eve of the dog meat festival.

386 dogs were crammed into cages and stored on a truck head for Yulin. With the help of animal activists, the police spotted the truck 500 miles outside of Yulin before intercepting and rescuing the . Footage shows the distressed dogs packed into small wired cages in the sweltering heat.

According to activist Lin Xiong, the animals showed clear signs of dehydration, starvation, as well as injury and diseases. Speaking with Humane Society International (HSI), Xiong said: “It was horrifying to see so many dogs in such an appalling state, it was like a truck from hell for these poor animals.

“We could see their petrified faces peering out from the cages and we knew those dogs were headed straight for Yulin slaughterhouses where they would have been bludgeoned to death.”

Xiong praised the Shaanxi police for their quick response to the matter. They added: “If only all police across China would have such a firm zero-tolerance approach to these dog thieves and traffickers, it would be the end of the dog trade here.”

Yulin’s barbaric ‘festival’ began in 2009. The 10-day event sees thousands of dogs and cats consumed by attendees. However, it is reported that only a small percentage of Yulin citizens participate in the festival. According to HSI, 72% of Yulin locals avoid dog meat despite efforts by traders.

Source: https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/dogs-saved-during-yulin-dog-meat-festival/

5 Nutrients Essencial for Healthy Hair!
By .

The new research adds to a growing body of evidence indicating the health benefits of following a plant-based diet for people of all ages, particularly a diet that is abundant in whole fruits and vegetables. This year, a study published in the Journal of Urology found evidence that a greater overall consumption of plant-based foods is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer in men under the age of 65.

Another study, published in scientific journal Foods, found that plant-based meats have a positive impact on gut health. The randomized and controlled study found that consumers who eat just five plant-based meals per week instead of meat-centric dishes experience an increase in the levels of a group of bacteria that produce butyrate, a fatty acid that promotes good digestive health and lessens inflammation to protect against disease. Another study conducted by Stanford University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also found that swapping animal-based meat with plant-based meat can significantly lower levels of LDL cholesterol.

Additionally, for women going through menopause, a study published earlier this year in the journal Menopause by the North American Menopause Society found that a plant-based diet rich in soy reduces moderate-to-severe hot flashes by 84 percent. While it is estimated that approximately 80 percent of menopausal women suffer from hot flashes, the research team found that women who follow a plant-based diet that includes soy products containing isoflavones, such as whole soybeans, can greatly improve their symptoms of menopause.

Source: https://vegnews.com/2021/11/older-adults-vegan-less-medication

Do you know about our vegan toothpaste? 🦷 It is vegan, non-GMO, fluoride and cruelty free. Made with organic ingredients only - no artificial preservatives or colors! 🌱

We’re also SLS free, paraben free, as well as Kosher Natural certified. 💢

Make sure to head over to uglybynature.com (bio) to choose your favorite toothpaste from 10 different flavors! 😋

A plant-forward rich in and could lower the risk of in postmenopausal , according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. The new suggests that the quality or overall healthiness of a person’s diet may be key to cancer prevention.

For the , researchers in the Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health at Paris-Saclay University in France tracked over 65,000 postmenopausal women living in France for more than two decades. The participants filled out dietary intake questionnaires in 1993 and 2005 and were followed for an average of 21 years. Over the course of the study, 3,968 study participants were diagnosed with breast . 

The researchers used 18 food groups to categorize the degree to which participants adhered to a diet that emphasized plant-based foods versus animal-based foods and ate healthier—such as eating whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, and or —versus less healthy foods including fruit juices, refined grains, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and desserts. 

Comparing breast cancer rates among women with different dietary quality revealed significant differences in cancer risk among those with healthier and less healthy diets. The study found that a healthy plant-rich diet was linked with a 14 percent lower risk of breast cancer while a less healthy diet was linked to a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer. The findings were consistent across all breast cancer subtypes.

Source: https://vegnews.com/2022/6/fruit-vegetables-reduces-breast-cancer-risk

Benefits of sunlight! ☀️
By .

According to Dr. Thomas Shea, Director of the Center for Cellular Neurobiology & Neurodegeneration Research at the University of Massachusetts, as little as two glasses of fresh each day could significantly reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s.

Confusion, delusions, and loss of memory are frightening and stressful, to put it mildly. But, there are growing signs that Alzheimer’s disease can largely be prevented through diet. While coconut oil is seen as a miracle solution for Alzheimer’s, other foods like can also be highly beneficial.

Dr. Shea has been researching the benefits of apples for years, culminating with a study on humans and the effects of apples in Alzheimer’s in 2006. In that study, 21 participants with Alzheimer’s disease were given just four ounces of apple juice twice a day for thirty days. The results on the 72 to 93-year olds was remarkable.

The research found that drinking juice only three times a week could reduce your risk of the disease by a whopping 75%. Dr. Shea commented that “These findings provide further evidence linking nutritional and genetic risk factors for age-related neurodegeneration and suggest that regular consumption of apple juice can not only help to keep one’s mind functioning at its best, but may also be able to delay key aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and augment therapeutic approaches.” Participants experienced improved memory and decreased negative moods associated with disease. The effects are comparable with the benefits obtained from a popular Alzheimer’s drug—but without the side effects.

The antioxidants and flavonoids within apples are credited with the brain-health benefits. These compounds protect the brain from inflammation and damage by free-radicals. Just two apples a day increases the amount of acetylcholine in the brain—responsible for movement and sensory perception. In addition, regular apple consumption reduces the accumulation of a toxin called beta-amyloid, frequently blamed for the development of Alzheimer’s.

Source: http://naturalsociety.com/apples-juice-daily-protect-brain-alzheimers/