iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

So much good #vegan food at Belmont Marketplace in Wakefield, RI. And best of all, it's clearly marked and easy to find.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

When wellness gurus and influencers place some foods completely off-limits, it creates unhealthy anxiety around diet choices. Absolutist views on diet should always raise red flags. I wrote about this as it pertains to all diets, including vegan. theresistancekitchen.substack.com/p/from-seed-...

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

From Seed Oils to “Chemicals”: The Politics of Food Fear

How absolutist nutrition advice creates anxiety, undermines science, and makes healthy eating harder.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Our goal shouldn't be to eat the most "natural" diet. It should be to eat the diet that best supports human health, animals, and the planet. theresistancekitchen.substack.com/p/why-back-t...

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Why “Back to Nature” Isn’t the Answer for Healthy and Sustainable Diets

Technology, science, and plant-based foods have made our diets healthier and more sustainable

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

To protect against colon cancer and have healthy bones, we need foods that provide both well-absorbed and *unabsorbed* calcium. Cruciferous veggies, fortified plant milks, calcium-set tofu are all good choices. So are supplements. I wrote on my blog about why I take supplemental calcium every day.

theveganrd.com

Vegan Diets and Colon Cancer: The Role of Calcium

A meta-analysis of nine studies involving 1.8 million adults found that vegetarians have a lower risk for cancers of the pancreas, breast, prostate, and kidney as well as lower risk for multiple myelo...

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

It’s easy to feel helpless about everything right now. But it’s also easy to bring a little kindness into the world by helping neighborhood animals. We have lots of snow in western Mass, so I’m filling the birdfeeders, and putting out a heated water bowl for whoever needs it.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

I wrote about why veganism is still an impactful choice as we head into 2026. It reduces animal suffering while challenging the dominant narrative around our relationship to animals. It opens the door to deeper conversations about why our food choices matter.

theveganrd.com

Why I’m Still Vegan—and Why It’s a Choice that Matters

Animals endure immense suffering on factory farms, and many individuals and organizations are working to improve their living conditions. But are these efforts enough? Toni Vernelli, former head of...

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

What we serve for Thanksgiving dinner is a part of our legacy -- a way for future generations to remember us. What could be better than a legacy of compassion? (The rescued turkeys in this photo are enjoying a cuddle from a volunteer at @woodstocksanctuary.bsky.social )

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Creating New Traditions without the Thanksgiving Turkey

Skipping the turkey at Thanksgiving builds a new kind of legacy for families.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Creating a vegan Thanksgiving is so easy. Here are my tips for a meal that embraces tradition while creating a new kind of legacy -- one of kindness, compassion, and respect.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

A Plant-Based Thanksgiving is Easy and Traditional

Give your Thanksgiving a vegetarian makeover with a few simple changes.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Horseshoe crabs were doing just fine for ~400 million yrs until we humans came along. Threats to these animals from the fishing industry also threaten birds and the ecology of the ocean. The story of the horseshoe crab is a humbling reminder of the far-reaching impact of our choices.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

What Horseshoe Crabs Taught Me About Connection and Responsibility

At a legislative hearing, horseshoe crabs stole the show — and reminded me just how interconnected all life really is.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

A few things you can do to protect your brain. 🍓Eat berries, beans, greens, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. 🍔Ditch red meat, cheese, and pastries. 🫶Choose kindness and compassion. It's true: plant foods are good for cognitive function. Compassion is linked to improved brain plasticity

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Eat Plants and Be Kind to Protect the Health of Your Brain

Trump-induced anxiety is a real and legitimate thing and it’s not good for the health of your brain.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

A tireless advocate for animals and the planet -- Jane Goodall's life was a gift to us all.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Long before vegan baking was popular, home cooks figured out egg-free cakes out of necessity. Crazy Cake is one of those genius recipes—rich, fudgy, and totally cruelty-free. 🌱🍫 Recipe here in the attached article. #VeganBaking #FoodHistory #AnimalLiberation

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

A Cake that Changes Minds and Helps Chickens

Long before test kitchens and vegan blogs, resourceful home cooks figured out how to bake without eggs.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Eleven Madison Park is adding meat back to their currently #vegan menu in order to be more "inclusive." Their rationale doesn't make sense to me. And I think it represents a narrow view of what it means to be welcoming. I wrote about it here:

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

In the Name of “Inclusivity,” Animals and the Planet Lose Again

Why Retreating to Meat Undermines Ethical Fine Dining

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Small changes add up to produce real impact. Shifting towards a vegan lifestyle just means looking for better options whenever you can.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

When we try to control other creatures for our own purposes, we always do harm. Breeding monarchs for schools, weddings, and “conservation” can spread disease and kill more butterflies than it saves. #PlantNative #Milkweed #butterflies #PollinatorGarden #MonarchButterflies

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

“Saving” Monarch Butterflies Can End Up Hurting Them

Why farming butterflies is just another way we try—and fail—to control nature.

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Reposted by Ginny Messina

Friends of Animals @foaorg.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

another hot week... you know the drill: - fill your bird baths - ensure pets have a cooled space and access to water - leave water out in any areas wildlife may be present (don't forget to place a rock or stick in the bowl so smaller creatures don't drown) pls&ty

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

The next best thing to a vegan restaurant is a restaurant that takes the trouble to offer vegans more than a hummus wrap. This is the Misquamicut Sandwich Company in Westerly, Rhode Island. If you’re in the area, they deserve your business! (I had the Tempeh Lettuce & Tomato and it was excellent.)

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Switching one sugar for another isn’t a win for public health. It’s a distraction from this admin's failure around policies that actually help people access healthy food. Say no to fear-based nutrition and focus instead on what really matters -- which is eating more plants, less animal food.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Making Food Choices That Matter

Coca-Cola drinkers can now choose beverages sweetened with “natural” cane sugar in place of high-fructose corn syrup.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Yes, plant-based meats fit in a healthy diet! In our paper in Frontiers in Nutrition we concluded that these foods “have health and environmental advantages over comparable animal-derived foods. For most individuals a daily serving of a PBMA fits well within the context of an overall healthy diet.”

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Do you need a vitamin B12 supplement? The answer is yes if you are eating any type of plant-based diet or are over the age of 50. And no, it doesn't mean a vegan diet is “unnatural.” Taking a B12 supplement allows you to choose a diet that supports health and aligns with your values.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Who Needs a Vitamin B12 Supplement? (Chances Are, It’s You)

All the vitamin B12 in the world is made by bacteria.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

If your garden needs water, so do your wild neighbors. Put out bowls of water for the four-legged animals, birdbaths for the feathered ones, and pebble-filled bowls for the pollinators during the dry days of summer.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

I’m off to picnic at Tanglewood (outdoor music venue) and to see Graham Nash and Emmylou Harris. I made pasta with plant-based chicken & pesto. Bought broccoli salad (made with Vegenaise), chips & guac, chocolate cake, strawberries, whipped coconut topping. And wine. Easy, breezy vegan dinner.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

We need to advocate for animals w/ integrity. That means not over-hyping the health impact of a vegan diet. Here is what I can promise about veganism: It's more sustainable, reduces contributions to animal cruelty, and ends discomfort around choices that conflict with a commitment to compassion.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Remembering my beloved Tater Tot on this #caturday. Here he is in the catio just about a year ago, watching over the native plants.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

I have beautiful basil from the garden which means amazing vegan pesto for the freezer. So easy and healthy. (Recipe is flexible. For 2 cups packed basil I use about 3 tbsp nooch, ½ cup pine nuts or walnuts, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp miso, ¼ cup olive oil.)

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Just days after the devastating floods in Texas, the Trump admin is hiring climate science deniers. No wonder so many of us suffer from climate-anxiety. But the best antidote is action. For me, it’s: • Peaceful protests • Emails to lawmakers • Plant-based cooking • Planting trees

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Coping with Climate Anxiety

Just days after the devastating floods in Texas, we learned that the Trump administration’s Energy Department has hired three researchers who question the science of human-caused climate change. That ...

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

A single food choice may seem too small to matter. But small shifts—oat milk over cow’s milk or beans over beef—can shift mindsets and challenge speciesism. Compassionate choices aren’t just personal; they’re political. 🌱✊ #Vegan #Speciesism #FoodPolitics

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Every Food Choice is An Opportunity to Challenge Oppression

Does it really matter if you choose oat milk over cow’s milk—or skip the beef in your chili and use beans instead?

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

It’s so, so hot and I’m changing my hummingbird feeder daily. As soon as the Agastache, Lobelia, and Monarda bloom (any day now!) I’m going to dispense with the feeders altogether. Native plants are better and safer. #nativeplants for #wildlife

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

One of the most important studies of the 1990s gave us the DASH diet. But if Trump had been president, it likely wouldn’t have been funded. It would've been flagged for “DEI language." We wouldn’t have this powerful guidance for lowering blood pressure. Which you may need more than ever these days.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

What to Eat When the World Is Stressing You Out

Chronic stress and anxiety—the kind so many of us are feeling these days—take a toll on blood pressure and heart health.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Baby animals are cute. But events that put them on display send the wrong message. Especially when those animals will eventually be sent to slaughter. Farm animal sanctuaries are a better choice. They rescue animals and help families connect with them as sentient beings, not commodities.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Helping Kids Connect with Animals—With Compassion

photo from Berkshire Farm Sanctuary

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

As the US government via #MAHA fuels misinformation and embraces pseudoscience, it’s more important than ever to identify reliable nutrition info. Scientific integrity matters especially in our advocacy for veganism and animals. These are my recommendations for #vegan nutrition.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a threat to wildlife & the marine food web. It measures more than 1/2 million square miles and is filled with plastic debris from the fishing industry. I wrote about it on my substack this week. And also about how to get omega-3 fats without fish.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Reduce Your Use of Plastic with One Small Dietary Change

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a vortex of debris that lies a few hundred miles north of Hawaii and measures more than half a million square miles.

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Reposted by Ginny Messina

iamddfears @ddfears.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Move over “jumbo shrimp,” the meat industry has an even more ridiculous oxymoron: “humane slaughter.” @nickkristof.bsky.social

nytimes.com

Opinion | What Some Animals Endure Before We Eat Them

An insider offers a grim picture of life inside a cattle slaughterhouse.

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Reposted by Ginny Messina

AmyUno @amyuno.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

🧠 Tips on Going Vegan: Mindset Edition 🧠 Find dependable resources that resonate with you so you can keep learning more about veganism 🥗 I can't recommend @theveganrd.bsky.social enough! Her teachings on vegan nutrition are in-depth, engaging, and accessible 🫑 #goingvegan

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Reposted by Ginny Messina

Louise | leaderforgood.com @joyfulgrowth.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Cory Booker's speech was super-impressive! And, I'm not surprised that he happens to be vegan. Ranting about injustices while being physically uncomfortable is literally a vegan superpower. Cory Booker took that superpower to the next level. And the level after that.

friendlyvegan.substack.com

Vegan beats US senate record (+ more positive vegan/animal advocacy news)

Ranting against injustices while being physically uncomfortable is literally a vegan superpower!

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

A lot of soybeans are grown on land that used to be rain forest which is awful for the planet. And while it might not seem to make sense, the solution is to eat more tofu and other soy foods (or any other plant foods).

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Your Tofu Scramble is Saving the Rain Forest. It’s Saving Field Mice, Too

The Amazon rainforest is disappearing and it’s devastating for the planet.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

I wrote on Resistance Kitchen this week about Louisa May Alcott’s family’s failed attempt to build a vegan utopian community in 1843, why I eat Girl Scout Cookies, why I like vegan convenience foods, and why some “ideal” choices require a certain amount of privilege.

open.substack.com

You Don't Have to Be Perfect. Just Eat More Plants

The Fruitlands Museum, just an hour or so outside of Boston is a wonderful collection of art amid beautiful views and miles of walking trails.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Happy St. Gertrude's Day! Gertrude is the saint of all that I love most in the world -- cats and gardens. Why does that other saint get all the attention? #StGertrudesDay

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

New research supports the safety and healthfulness of seed oils. When you choose them over animal fats, you are protecting your health, protecting the planet, and taking a stance for science over conspiracy. open.substack.com/pub/theresis...

open.substack.com

Seed Oils are Good for You and for the Planet, Too

Robert F.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

I love vegan cookies, and I love supporting the Girl Scouts.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

No matter how overwhelming things seem right now, we still have to eat. And it’s good to know that food choices can count as small quiet acts of resistance. Please subscribe to my substack Resistance Kitchen.

theresistancekitchen.substack.com

Welcome to the Resistance Kitchen

Your kitchen is a place where you make choices with more meaning and impact than you might imagine.

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Referring to plant-based meats and cheeses as “fake” or suggesting that their ingredient list is scary is bad science and bad vegan advocacy. I'm making a plea to both vegan activists and plant-based companies to use more respectful language about these foods.

theveganrd.com

We Need More Respect for Plant-based Alternatives

Advocates for animal agriculture and for the meat, egg, and dairy industries are eager to disparage plant-based alternatives of all kinds. They do it by focusing on ingredient lists and the fact that ...

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Ginny Messina @theveganrd.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

The linoleic acid in seed oils lowers cholesterol and is linked to lower risk for chronic disease. And no, it doesn't cause inflammation. We need to push back against misinformation about harmless plant-based choices. Your healthy vegan diet can include seed oils. www.theveganrd.com/2025/01/seed...

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