Tag Archives: vegan

Haunted

Since October 4th, at least one child has been killed and 10 injured daily by Israel in Lebanon. Fifty children were killed in Northern Gaza yesterday. Gaza’s children are not merely ‘collateral’ which would be horrific enough, but are targets of genocide, of erasure, of extermination. The Palestinian people have been so completely dehumanised that the world continues to stand by, spectators to the horror show. I sent more money to Osama and his family in Khan Younis, but they need much more than I can give. Osama is one of 8 siblings. His youngest sister Haya is just 11 years old. She has been robbed of her childhood. His father Sobhi has diabetes, and a deep foot ulcer, as well as heart disease. They cannot afford the escalating price of medications and there is no functioning health service.

It is too awful.

There was some hope this week as Barclays divested from Elbit systems after a direct action campaign. Until recently, Barclays owned over 16,000 shares in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company, worth over $3,400,000. For over a year, Palestine Action activists have targeted Barclays premises, smashing branch windows and spraying them in blood-red paint. This has put Barclays sites out of operation for weeks, raising the costs associated with dealing with Elbit. Palestine Action’s broader campaign against Elbit systems and its’ financial and industrial partners aims to make the cost of dealing in genocide, occupation, and apartheid exceed the potential to profit from it. 

The CEOs of these corporations have no conscience, but hit their bottom line and they act.

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An unpalatable truth

The NHS can be a challenging place to work, particularly because it is so hard to change. When I see a problem I want to fix it, and that is just not the pace at which the NHS works! A problem I am confronted with several times a day is NHS food. The food we serve to NHS patients and staff is nothing less than a disgrace. It does not align with the best evidence on how to use nutrition to support health and recovery; many meals eaten by thousands of patients in NHS beds today will have contributed to the very problems making them sick. This is before we even consider the contribution that the food system makes to the climate crisis, or the lack of compassion shown towards sentient animals with whom we share this planet.

Nutritious plant-based meals served in New York Hospitals

Over the last few years I have dedicated an increasing amount of time to bringing attention to the urgent task of changing our food system. In this work I stand alongside my colleague Dr Shireen Kassam who is both an ally and an inspiration. It’s rare to find a kindred spirit who is excited and enraged by the same things as I am: Shireen is that rarity. As we get closer to the launch of our campaign Plants First Healthcare, we wrote for BMJ Leader, making the case that it is high time healthcare organisations led by example in the food we serve to staff and patients.

Why are hospitals, places people rely on to restore their health, serving food that makes them sick?

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