The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

The Invisible Vegan

 


When I was in middle-school, I was a vegetarian for a year or so. My mother was constantly worried I wasn't getting enough protein. I was. I just had an overly concerned mom. 

My dietary change was the result of me not being crazy about the taste of meat... along with a short story I'd read. James Agee wrote a moving story called "A Mother's Tale" about a cow that--like all the other cows--wants to experience getting away from the boring pasture and wants to get on the train... the train that other cows are lucky enough to get shoved onto.

The cow does get taken away (by train) to the slaughterhouse, and miraculously, escapes right before it's slaughtered. Most of their hide has been torn off, they're barely alive... but they're on a mission to warn the other cows.

Jasmine Leyva's documentary, The Invisible Vegan, is part history lesson, a tiny part cooking show and a huge part call to action. Jasmine has a calm, casual way of speaking to the viewer, making it easy for anybody to relate to her. The movie takes me back to my vegetarian days, and has probably made it so I'll never have another bacon slice or a chicken patty again.

On the journey to dispel myths and make her case, Leyva includes a movie chapter about enslaved people and how they were forcibly taken from a culture that subsisted on a plant-based diet... and how once they arrived at their new "home," they had no choice but to eat low on the hog.

Now--in 2021--there are minority neighborhoods without access to decent (and affordable) vegetables and fruit.  According to some of the experts who star in this documentary, we should rally for fresh food just like we should rally for social justice.



 If you're thinking of having "Meatless Mondays" or you're seriously considering your food choices, I highly recommend watching Jasmine Leyva's documentary. It's entertaining, engaging and relatable. You can watch the trailer below:

 https://youtu.be/rw2Qp7hXpH0

And here are some other posts reviewing the movie or interviewing the director:

March 22nd @ WOW! Women on Writing
Join us today when we celebrate the launch of our very first virtual film tour featuring Jasmine Leyva's eye-opening documentary, The Invisible Vegan. Find out more about this incredible film, read an interview with the director, and find out how you can stream it.

March 22nd @ Plant to You
Check out Carleigh's blog for her recommendation of The Invisible Vegan.

March 24th @ The Faerie Review
Find out more about the documentary The Invisible Vegan and how you can stream it online today.

March 27th @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion
Visit Linda's blog where she reviews Jasmine Leyva's film The Invisible Vegan.

March 28th @ Lady Unemployed
Visit Nicole's blog today where Lisa Jones is a guest reviewer and shares her thoughts of Jasmine Leyva's documentary The Invisible Vegan.

March 29th @ AJ Sefton's Blog
Join AJ as he reviews the eye-opening documentary The Invisible Vegan.

March 30th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Wendi shares her insights into the documentary The Invisible Vegan

March 31st @ Merc With a Movie Blog
Visit this movie blog today and find out their review of The Invisible Vegan.

April 2nd @ Knotty Needle
Seeking to transform her own eating habits, blogger Judy Hudgins shares her insights about the documentary The Invisible Vegan. 

April 2nd @ Brookes Bookstagram
Visit Brookes Instagram page today to read her review of The Invisible Vegan.

April 5th @ Michelle Cornish' Blog
Join Michelle as she reviews the documentary The Invisible Vegan

April 7th @ Sioux's Page
Sioux shares her own insights into the documentary The Invisible Vegan.

April 12th @ Look to the Western Sky
Join Margo as she shares her insights into the film The Invisible Vegan and interviews the director Jasmine Leyva.

April 15th @ Wild Hearted
Join Ashley as she reviews the film The Invisible Vegan

April 16th @ Diary of a Smart Chick
Join Kathryn as she reviews the eye-opening documentary The Invisible Vegan.

April 18th @ Leafy Souls
Join the team at Leafy Souls and read their insights into Jasmine's powerful documentary The Invisible Vegan.

April 19th @ Carole Mertz Blog
Join Carole as she reviews the film The Invisible Vegan and shares her insights into this powerful documentary. 

April 21st @ Deborah Adams' Blog
Join Deborah as she reviews the documentary The Invisible Vegan.



About the Author, Jasmine Leyva
 

Activist, actress, and documentary filmmaker, Jasmine is passionate about veganism, social justice, and telling her own stories. With a Bachelor of Arts in TV, Film and Media and a Master of Fine Arts in screenwriting, Jasmine is unapologetically an artist. She has worked as an associate producer on a NAACP winning docuseries entitled Unsung and has written and produced for Being, a docuseries highlighting dynamic entertainers in film and music.


Jasmine ultimately decided to let go of her nine-to-five and focus on her goals with no boss except for her own creativity. She went on to produce her own feature length documentary, The Invisible Vegan, a film that chronicles her personal experience with plant-based eating.  The film also explains how plant-based eating is directly linked to African roots and how African-American eating habits have been debased by a chain of oppression. 

Jasmine’s recently appeared on the Vegan Women SummitThe Sarah Scoop Show, and the 

Soul On Fire podcast.

 

Website: https://jasmineleyva.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasmine_c_leyva

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUmSXRtjPgc_JQ4N-h67VUg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminecleyva/