GNOMIC Christmas 2018 by Gnomic Magazine

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FIRST WORD Do it for love. n December of 1936, the King Edward VIII gave up the throne of England to be with his beloved American divorcée Wallis Simpson. The Taj Mahal, built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife who died in 1631, shortly after giving birth to her 14th child, stands tall till date. The King ordered the construction of the mammoth mausoleum with many precious stones gathered throughout Central Asia. An Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore would later describe it as “a teardrop on the cheek of time”. When bouquets of roses could no longer do, the King Nebuchadnezzar wondered what he could do for his Queen, Amytis who was homesick-- she missed her native Media and the mountainous landscape with all its beauty and glamour. The King built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for her: a series of spectacular terraces that seem to float midair. Millennia after man had sinned and wallowed in self-help in an effort to reach God, the promise of God himself as a gift was due. There was nothing that could save man, nothing that could bridge that gap between God and man save God Himself! He left His majesty, condescended and took upon Himself human flesh, and got himself born in a manger among sheep, not in a plush palace, even though He be King of Kings. It was because of Love. What things do you do and would you do for Love? As Christ is born, let it remind you of doing things for Love. Not for acceptance or popularity, not for money or comfort; But for love, just as He loved us and gave His life for us. He was born, to die. He did it for Love. Be inspired this season to do something crazy, for Love!!

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FAITH

THE CHRISTMAS STORYA MISSION STORY

For God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Sonâ&#x20AC;Ś o us, Christmas means Love, and love is at the core of missions. Thus, Christmas is missions. We love because He first loved us; we do missions because He was the first missionary. The first Noel was a mission story, with Jesus being the first missionary sent by The Father into this world. It was not an easy missionary journey; it involved Jesus taking on a new identity, leaving his rainbow encircled throne to come to earth, the stage of the story. Follow the story

CHRIST THE MISSIONARY Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,Upon them a light has shined. Christmas must be about people seeing a great light—the light of the world—Jesus Christ. Today, many dwell in darkness who must see the great light. More than 40%, making up 3.14 billion of the world’s population, live in places with no access to the gospel. More than 100,000 people die daily without knowing Christ... Christ has been replaced in the mass celebrations and his light has been filled with darkness. This Christmas, lets fill our activities with light.We once lived in darkness, but have now been made a chosen generation and a royal people to declare the praises of Him who has ushered us into his glorious light. In the midst of the many activities that come with the celebrations, let us remember the many who still dwell in darkness and say a prayer for them, that God, who caused light to shine out of darkness, will cause his light to shine in their hearts and take away all forms of blindness.

Mary gave birth to a child, her first born, but God gave us His Son. For God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son – Christ – the perfect gift of Christmas. The season is filled with sharing various gifts, but the perfect gift we could give out is the person of Jesus Christ. In every package we are give out, the element of Christ must be central. That is the mission of Christmas. Are you considering giving a gift to someone? Consider first if this person knows Christ. If he does not, add ‘Christ’ to the package. How? Pray for the person, and seek an opportunity to witness him or her this season. Keep praying that this person will come to accept this gift. Look beyond the usual people you celebrate Christmas with and make it more meaningful this time. There are many orphans, sick people and street children to whom this season will pass as just another day in the year. How about including them in your Christmas plans this year? An outreach, a gift…will change the meaning of Christmas for them. And the message to them should be, ‘I give to you this because I remember the gift of Christmas God gave us many years ago and I give him to you also’. This is Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, and Unto us a Son is given;

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And His name will be called Wonderful,Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The major character in this mission story had several different names. In the typical Jewish setting the story was staged in, names had special meanings to them! Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Fatherâ&#x20AC;ŚWe need to understand that the baby in this mission story is God and lives eternally to fulfill these wonderful attributes in the lives of those who have him. This is important because how one perceives Him influences how he or she accepts Him. How ones accepts Him determines how beneficial He is to him or her. Herod in 4BC saw Him as a threat and lost out on His benefits; we risk doing likewise. As we consider presenting this gift to the world this season, let us present Him well, not just as a baby in a manger, but as a king who deserves to be Lord of all, and lives His name as Wonderful.

WISE MEN SEEK JESUS. Wise men continue to seek Jesus. The wise are those who have Jesus. Those who want to be wise are those who seek Jesus. Ironically, the wise men were from the East. Today, many from the East still do not know Jesus. Many of them have no access to the gospel. Some have heard the gospel but do not believe. Some Eastern countries boast of less than 0.1% of their population being Christian. This Christmas, pray that many from the East will seek Jesus, the true light of the world.

BETHLEHEM HAD NO ROOM FOR ITS KING. Bethlehem had no room in for its king, do you have room in your heart for the king?

O COME LET US ADORE HIM This song is one you would certainly sing during this season or hear being sang. Mean it when you sing it. That all would come adore Him. Pray, sing , proclaim and worship the vision of John into being-

Revelations 7:9-10 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying,"Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!

--that people from every tribe, nation, language, tongue will come and adore our King. That every nation would bow before our king, even places where He is not yet known/ well-known, among underground believers, persecuted Christians in closed

countries with no access to the gospel… We have grown to believe Christmas is a time with family and loved ones, and our gaze has been fixed on that and that alone. But the original intent of Christmas was a missional vision rooted in LOVE. For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE US HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.. THAT WHOSEOVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. Every scene in the story fulfills this vision. As you play your role in this story now, will you also make it missional? Have a missional Christmas.

Dedicated to John Allen Chau, the young American missionary who was killed by the Sentinel tribe in India in his bid to share the gospel to them, and all other Christians being persecuted for their faith—from death threats to mockery in the media. May our Lord’s birth provide us with the strength to stand firm for our faith.

Priscilla Kyei-Baffour

A Different

Christmas.

Strings of bright amber light, pine green and red satins, gold and silver ornaments, wreaths, garlands and carols. I bet that sounds like Christmas. These keep me in the know about Christmas. It is interesting how our enthusiasm about the festive season seems to dwindle as we age. Whilst growing up I did look out to see the early morning thick fog and fill my pores with a buttery smear, the weapon against chapped lips and cracked soles. Harmattan! A harbinger to Christmas. A time I keenly looked forward to eons ago. The excitement that came with putting up the tree with beautiful decorations with my siblings and friends.The idea of secret Santa and the sharing on vacation days. I can confidently say I was not the only one who awaited my Christmas dress or shoes with pleasure. We visited family, had get-to-together and even met and dined with people we will term strangers on a normal day. Merry and memories, we made. As I reminisce, I wonder. What happened? Why do I only think of the how stressful taking down the tree will be? Asking people about Christmas yields various responses Emm: Chale, wosop plus the Christmas? Mem: My guy,The system inside no good. Ano get anything for skin Emm: Oh chale, slowww Being part of the Christmas celebrations has nothing to do with age. It is not just about the money, though I must admit having some money comes in handy. That something that made our previous Christmasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; more memorable than recent ones and this Christmas (i.e. if we refuse to change), is love. Emulating the love shown to

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us by the birth of Jesus Christ makes the difference. Knowingly or unknowingly our parents were intentional about their love during Christmas. We were intentional about our love when we spent time with family and made our toothless folks smile. We were intentional about our love when we called others and wished them well during the season. We were intentional about our love when we put smiles on the faces of others. An act of kindness. A helping hand. A generous heart. A genial smile. Meant words.Time spent with others and treating one’s self to some good thing you have not had or done in a while. That is what it is all about. Sharing the love of God. Be intentional about your love this season. Like David Wilkerson said, ‘Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.’ Be intentional.

Maame Adwoa Owusu-Konadu

‘Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.’ - David Wilkerson

PUTTING THE BACK IN

MAS

hough the demand for “more Christ in Christmas” seems to be losing momentum, many still believe the holiday—and its seasonal greetings—should more explicitly reference the Saviour. The great irony in the distaste for the term “X-mas” is that it is thoroughly Christian, rather than an effort to remove the word Christ from the holiday. The “X” in X-mas is not really an “X” at all. It’s chi, the Greek letter at the start of the word Christ, or Christos (Χριστός). Since the earliest era of political Christendom, “X” has been used as a shorthand for Christ. Constantine, the first emperor to convert to Christianity and whose Edict of Milan sought to free Christians from persecution, instructed his soldiers to inscribe the letter on their shields before the landmark Battle of Milvian Bridge. The chi “X” was paired with “P,” representing the Greek letter rho, the first two letters of and a signifier

commercial abuses. Fellow English writer G.K. Chesterton, too, wrote a short poem called “Xmas Day.” for the name Christ. Legend has it, the chi rho symbol came to Constantine in a vision. Using “X” as an abbreviation for Christ is also thought to have appeared in many Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Even incorporating “X” into an English-language abbreviation for Christmas dates back a millennium. In the year 1021, an Anglo-Saxon scribe condensed Christmas to “XPmas,” and eventually the “P” was dropped to shorten the term even further, First Things noted. According to the Christian Research Institute, the church was substituting “Christ” with “X” in the middle of the fifteenth century to save space and money when using newly invented printing presses, and Webster’s dictionary recognizes “X-mas” as a common term by the sixteenth century. Matthew Schmitz, senior editor of First Things, states, “That Xmas sounds for a time more commercial than Constantinian is no reason to give up on it use, not if we expect the Christian faith to outlast capitalist society.” In the eighteenth century, one of England’s most famous poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was using “X-mas” in his writing. More recently, in a 1954 essay called “Xmas and Christmas,” C. S. Lewis describes a mythical people who celebrate a winter festival called, critically,“Exmas” and find themselves hopelessly entangled, then exhausted, by the holiday rush. He uses the story to decry Christmas’

“What Does the X in Xmas Mean?” was one of 300 questions theologian R. C. Sproul compiled in a 1996 book. “The X in Christmas is used like the R in R. C. My given name at birth was Robert Charles, although before I was even taken home from the hospital my parents called me by my initials, R.C., and nobody seems to be too scandalized by that,” he said in his response, now posted on the Ligonier Ministries website. Even two decades ago, the late teacher defended the term against Christian skepticism. “People seem to express chagrin about seeing Christ’s name dropped and replaced by this symbol for an unknown quantity X. Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, ‘Put Christ back into Christmas’ as a response to this substitution of the letter X for the name of Christ,” he said. “There’s a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect.”

Modified from a CT article by GRIFFIN PAUL JACKSON

A love of Christma

Richeal Shola

a Makinde

ometime past, a girl I met, Feet bare, eyes wet, Amongst all, she was different. But everyone busy, none suspect. Around her was laughter, Inside her was hunger, No spare of burger, For the poor begger. Let me ask, Is there love? A sweet child, But a suffering child. Knows none but the ladies in white. Even family and friends, not quite. Daily feed with tubes, Daily breathe with tubes. Never a flower in her hair, Nor a gift or care. Let me know, Is there love? The long awaited time is here, It's Christmas, let's cheer. Be my Santa, My heart will make you centre. Let's emulate the Giver, Who gave us our Saviour. Love is a candle, Let's try a rekindle. Is there love? I think there is.

Paradoxes

He came as a wa on w As fire A spark that sli He came as a warmth on winter, As fire unquenched by snow. A spark that slipped through the might of the Herods, At a toss of a coin. Birthed in a parable, The good shepherd found in a stable. Sired by a carpenter, Perhaps, to drop us a message spanning eras, "I fix all things". Grace wrapped in swaddling clothes . Hero of a scarlet tinted humanity, In the innocence of a baby. A symphony sang to our souls, Divine paradoxes of love.

Perfect Alexandra Koka

armth winter, unqu ipped

FEATURED

ith elegant simplicity, the apostle John writes, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). It is clear, it is straightforward, and it is almost unbelievably strange. The conviction that God became man, not as a mere theological concept but as a concrete event in the history of the world, is at the heart of the Christian faith. This is the mystery of the Incarnation. To say that God became man is one thing, but it is another to imagine a young mother lulling a fussy baby to sleep, hot tears streaming from his pink, sleepy eyes, and to say that this tiny being is God incarnate, the Saviour of all, the king of the universe. Each year, “Mary, Did You Know?” brings this wondrously odd aspect of our faith to Christmas radio stations and holiday playlists. In 2014, Grammy-winning group Pentatonix released its striking a cappella cover of the song, taking this decidedly Christian Christmas song to platinum status this year. Originally written by Mark Lowry of the Gaither Vocal Band in 1991, the song has long been a staple of the evangelical Christmas repertoire and slowly made its way to the mainstream with covers by notable musicians such as CeeLo Green, Clay Aiken, and Jordan Smith. Lyrically, the song rests upon the question “Mary, did you know?” and reflects on Christ’s earthly ministry and cosmic reign. Musically, it is simple, a lullaby. The sweet sadness of the melody has squeezed tears from the eyes of many an unsuspecting listener—including my own. But not all Christians have been pleased with this Nativity tune. As the song resurfaces each Christmastide, so do the enthusiastic complaints regarding its sappiness and its condescension toward Mary. To me, the vigorous outcry against the song’s sentimentality has always seemed a strange objection. Certainly, there is a sugary sweetness to the lyrics referring to Mary’s “baby boy,” but “Mary, Did You Know?” is a lullaby, not a theological treatise or a grand orchestral piece. Some songs are simple, gentle, and intended to be so. Should we insist that “Jesus Loves Me” incorporate a more complex account of original sin? Surely not. This rejection of “Mary, Did You Know?” seems to reflect our suspicion of the soft, the sentimental, the childish.Yes, it is a song that is likely to make your mother cry, but in a world grown hard and cold with cynicism, soft-heartedness is not necessarily a bad thing. Surely as followers of a God who elevates the meek and childlike, we can celebrate art that breaks, even for a moment, the spell of our hopelessness, even if it is on the verge of “sappy.”

If listeners can get beyond artistic interpretation to focus on the words of the song, however, the lyrics—though simple and at moments affected—are profoundly scriptural. “Mary, Did You Know?” actually traces the character of Christ from the messianic prophecies of the Hebrew Bible (“save our sons and daughters” from Isaiah 43:6), to Jesus’ earthly ministry (healing the blind, walking on water, etc.), and finally Christ’s cosmic reign (as heaven’s perfect Lamb, rule the nations, the Great I Am, etc.). In all, it’s a fitting summation of the role of Christ. The content of the song is not shallow or sentimental, and while it can sound saccharine when Lowry croons it out in perpetual fermata, Pentatonix’s version undeniably expresses a certain gravity and solemnity. The second criticism seems more compelling to me. Listeners have complained that, yes, Mary knew that she was going to bear the Messiah, the promised salvation of Israel, and that, therefore, the rhetorical question upon which the song rests is either redundant or condescending. Lutheran writer Holly Scheer declared the song “the most biblically illiterate Christmas tune,” saying, “the biblical account of Christ’s conception and birth shouldn’t need to ask if Mary knew because the Bible plainly tells us she did.” Many others similarly argue that to predicate an entire song on this question diminishes the pivotal nature of Mary’s role in God’s salvation plan, reducing her to a sweet but ultimately clueless new mother.

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This concern is a valid one. For many years, Protestant Christians have largely emphasized Mary’s youth and downplayed her divine appointment, often out of concern over Catholic veneration of the mother of God.Yet Scripture clearly presents to us a remarkable depiction of Mary in her special role as God-bearer and prophetic hymn writer. The narrative of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), and the content of the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), make it obvious that Mary knew her child would be the Messiah. So, in that sense, yes: Mary knew. But here, again, we approach the unleapable hurdle of the Incarnation. Mary knew her child would be the Messiah, as we now know that God became man. But that sort of knowledge does not leave us without questions. As Mary rocked her baby to sleep, night after night, did she not wonder what it would all mean, how her child’s Messiahship would play out in all its startling particularity? Luke 2:19 says, “Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” It is fair for us to assume she had plenty of questions among those ponderings. “Mary, Did You Know?” directs its curiosity to these quandaries—not because Mary was ignorant of the facts—but because the Incarnation is much more than a doctrine, or an

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event, that can simply be accepted and understood. It is a mystery to be encountered. The Incarnation is a hard thing to get our heads and our hearts around. We may accept the doctrine, while still feeling as though we’ve missed the more essential “something” in the story. Sometimes, then, we must seek other tools to help awaken our awe and etch the beautiful reality of the gospel into our hearts. One of the fruitful aspects of art is that it can help us move past intellectual assent toward attentive wonder. This is the attitude into which “Mary, Did You Know?” invites us.

ter than the woman in whose womb the Son of God grew?

The question “Mary, did you know?” is not a factual one but a rhetorical one. It opens space for contemplation, curiosity, and wonder. The song invites us to peer over Mary’s shoulder as she rocks the Christ child to sleep, to witness the vulnerability of God, to meditate on the vastness of heaven contained in tiny fingers grasping for the comfort of his mother’s hand. As with many good pieces of art, rather than merely instructing us in doctrinal truths, the song invites us into mystery and worship. Far from diminishing Mary, it invites to look to her as we attempt to understand the mystery of the Incarnation. For who would know this wonder, this strangeness, and this beauty bet-

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Modified from CT Magazine’s article of the same name by Joy Clarkson, a PhD candidate in theology, imagination, and the arts at Saint Andrews University, Scotland.

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Tales of my love. Yinlogre Atongo

Pain is inevitable they say They say we never know when it's coming You need not do this . Did you? You took my heart, you played with it like a ludo dice You made my vital signs rise at the thought of you The doctor even thought I'd develop a heart attack I was supposed to be in bed, recuperating back to health from these high vital signs but the love of you kept me going You were so sweet my tooth ached from your sweetness You were such a gentleman always opening doors for me, walking at the shoulder of the road to protect me I was absolutely fine with you I had your eyes to stare in, they were like stars on earth They brought a healing and soothing feeling

Then; One day, your eyes were not the same They sparkled no more, they were as dull as cloudy skies Your body was cold, your heart was frozen I could not feel warmth in your hands anymore What happened to my love? I had been away but for a moment or so I thought I was returning to apologize, to kneel at your feet and say "there was no love like yours" I had searched the wide worLd through and still I could find no other

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They said you died a painful death They said the soldiers nailed you to a cross They said they put a crown of thorns on your head They said your precious body in which I found comfort was soaked in blood from their scourging Where was I when all this was going on? I had drifted into another's hands; another incapable of loving me the way you did He did not hold me the way you did or look at me with love as you did His words were pleasant for a moment and at another moment his words accused me, destroyed and stole my joy I was coming back to you wretched, my heart in pieces I was coming to be mended only to be told you were gone But I thought you said our love was meant to last forever You were a man of your words In front of your grave hewn from rock I stood I wished you would appear and say it was all a hoax just to get me back to you I wished I could feel your loving touch And I wished I could hear your words which made me walk on cirrus BUT NOTHING! I remembered you said your Sprit will forever remain with me You said He was your comforting Spirit and a Helper When I experienced Him I felt joy and inner peace He felt just like you He touched just like you and his words were just gentle as yours And yes! we were actually meant to last forever united in our Spirit

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love

#doitfor

Merry Christmas.

palpate

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, MSG

JOY TO THE WORLD Scenes from the musical.

Where it all began. A dramatic event ten years ago, destroys Mr Wilfred's love for Christmas

KCN Carols Service 2018

Now a well sought after fashion designer with three apprentices, the three set out to make Mr Wilfred love Christmas again.

Mr Wilfred

When Anas finally meets Anas and a shocking truth is revealed. The twist. Mr Wilfred was the perpetrator (and not at all the victim) of the robbery gone bad. Remember that unfortunate event?

Where it all comes to an end. Here we see victim forgive and pray for perpetrator following a heartfelt conversation about Jesus, the reason for the season.

On the very first Christmas day, love broke through our dark and hopeless world. The victim came down to forgive the perpetrator, and take away his guilt. Love came down, bringing Joy to the World. Courtesy: Mass Choir + Mass Thaetre, KCN

FOOD

Five reasons to go vegan. Despite the stereotypical litany of vegan-myths (think: under-nourished, long-haired, hippie lentil-lovers), veganism is steadily becoming one of the most popular diets around the world. Propagated by the clean eating brigade, it has a lengthy list of celebrity backers: Russell Brand, Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson. And then there's the ever-growing list of vegan athletes, including Serena Williams, Mike Tyson and former Mr Universe Barnabas du Plessis, which should put paid to anyone with the phrase "but what about protein?" on their lips. Intrigued? Here are five scientifically tested reasons to give veganism a go...

It can help you lose weight Heads up: diet season is on the horizon! If the four weeks of endless boozing, chocolate-nibbling and mince pie-scoffing that essentially makes up December traditionally leaves your belt a little tight, a vegan diet may be just the ticket to help you shed the extra pounds (as long as you move a bit as well). A 2015 study showed that those following a vegan diet lost comparatively more weight than those following omnivorous and vegetarian ones. Good news for anyone still in a cheese-induced coma.

It's good for the environment Eating meat has a much more significant impact on the environment than eating plant-based foods Eating meat has a much more significant impact on the environment than eating plant-based foods Agriculture is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (more than all transport), potentially increasing to 50pc by 2050. Rearing livestock for animal-based products requires far more land, water and energy than producing grain; 27kg CO2 is generated per kilo beef in comparison to 0.9kg per kilo of lentils. Accord-

ing to a 2016 Oxford study, the adoption of a vegan diet globally would cut food-related emissions by 70pc. That's got to be a good reason to put down the ham sandwich.

It might make you live longer (if you do it for more than a month) While veganism isn't necessarily a one-way ticket to a zen-like, eternal youth, numerous scientific studies have been taken to measure the impact of a plant-based diet in reducing the risk of major diseases, including diabetes and heart disease with positive results. A vegan diet also eases the symptoms of arthritis-sufferers and can help to prevent obesity, which is a leading cause of death. A 2016 study from Oxford argues that the mass-adoption of a vegan diet could cut 8.1 million deaths a year. Becoming vegan for 31 days is not going to have the same effect, but it's worth bearing in mind.

Eating vegetables is good for you, duh No one needs to tell you that eating fruit and vegetables is beneficial, but in case you've forgotten everything your parents and teachers ever taught you, they're full of essential vitamins and minerals (including calcium, potassium and Vitamin C) and dietary fibre. All of these should keep you feeling and (ideally) looking great.

It makes you smell better Go ahead and raise your eyebrows, but a recent study analysed the sweat of those who eat a diet of mainly fruit and vegetables, and found that it was deemed to be more attractive to women (who actually had to smell and evaluate each sample) than those on a carb-heavy diet. The sweat produced by veg-eating men was described as "floral, fruity, sweet or having medicinal qualities." Do you need another reason?

Now that you're sold on veganism, it's time to embrace the opportunity to experience a whole new world of cuisine. There are a innumerable delicious ways to eat vegetables.

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