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Savvy Vegetarian Blognews and opinion on vegetarian diet and nutrition, vegetarian lifestyle, green living, and environmentGot Something To Say? Tell Savvy Veg!Sun, 21 Jun 2009
The AMA's Council On Science and The Public Health Report On Sustainable Food: This remarkable report is like an Earth Save article, only longer and harder to read. Some hardy souls will want to read the whole CSAPH report (hint: starts on Pg. 48). For the rest of us I've extracted a few stunning paragraphs, and translated them into English. "This report expands on the topic (of sustainable food) to address how medical schools, hospitals, and other health care facilities can model and encourage healthy eating in a manner that supports environmentally sustainable agricultural and food system practices, which in turn may provide additional social, economic, and health benefits to their surrounding communities and beyond." Translation: The unsustainable American medical system is now expected to be a model for healthy eating. Hospitals will turn their lawns into organic gardens, and serve healthy food to their patients. Doctors will learn about nutrition, and start telling people to eat vegetables instead of red meat! "The current US food system is highly industrialized, focusing on the production of animal products and federally subsidized commodity crops, such as corn and soybeans. This has resulted in a highly processed, calorie-dense food supply, instead of one rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The poor quality diets supported by this system contribute to four of the six leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers. Individuals of lower socio-economic standing are more likely to consume these subsidized, highly processed foods, and are likewise at increased risk of related adverse health outcomes." Translation: Let me see if I've got this straight. The government tells us to eat lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains. But it rewards farmers for growing crops which support the most unhealthy possible diet for most people. The result is that most of us are very sick, which in turn supports the medical establishment. Why would the AMA want to turn that system on it's ear? "Beyond the issue of poor nutritional quality are methods of food production and distribution that have additional negative effects on human and environmental health. These methods have contributed to the development of antibiotic resistance; air and water pollution; contamination of food and water with animal waste, pesticides, hormones, and other toxins; increased dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels (including fertilizers); and a food system that is increasingly vulnerable to accidental or intentional contamination. These methods of food production and distribution are inherent parts of the prevailing agricultural system, which is may be referred to as 'conventional farming, modern agriculture, or industrial farming. Translation: The industrial ag model which has reigned supreme since the 1950's is breaking down, it doesn't work, it can't continue. We get that. But what does that mean for the health care system? "Clinical approaches to addressing diet-related health concerns are costly and not sustainable. Additionally, it is difficult for individuals to change their eating behaviors when many forces in the social, cultural, and physical environment do not support such change. The public looks to the health care community to provide leadership in the best practices to promote health. Medical schools, hospitals, and other health care facilities are key participants in the food system with potentially significant roles to play in fostering greater awareness, improving purchasing practices, and promoting consumption of healthy and sustainable food." Translation: We're now so sick from our unsustainable diet, produced by our unsustainable agricultural system, that our health care system is overburdened and nearly bankrupt. Doctors should practice preventative medicine by eating and prescribing a healthy diet! The report goes on to say that a sustainable food system must preserve the environment, social justice, health, and economic viability. Government policy at every level must support that. "Agricultural, food, and nutrition policies affect the choices people and organizations have, and in turn the health of individuals, communities, and the environment." The report concludes that "Unhealthy food systems are not sustainable, and contribute to the very health problems the health care system is trying to solve – at extraordinary costs both economically and in terms of quality of life. It is essential that health care organizations become both models and advocates of food systems that promote optimal health." Translation: I assume that means that doctors will make their patients eat healthy diets, instead of prescribing toxic drugs which kill as much as cure. But that's a whole other report! Read the CSAPH report on sustainable food (pg. 48 - 59) Got Something To Say? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Fri, 19 Jun 2009
During the last week I came across these four excellent articles through Twitter. I've been busier than usual, so saved them up to post all at once. That seemed like a brilliant solution to my time crunch, since they're all variations on the theme of living and eating green. 1. Excellent video of Mark Bittman, talking about What's Wrong With What We Eat. Mark Bittman is a cool guy, a great speaker, and wrote a wonderful cookbook "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" - quite a feat for a non-vegetarian. And that's the one thing that spoils his lovely speech. It's mind boggling that anybody knowing what he does can continue to say "I'm not a vegetarian". It would be so admirable if this hugely influential guy had stood up and said, "Here are all the reasons why I don't eat meat, and why you shouldn't eat meat." Instead he cops out by saying, "... everybody should eat 50% less meat." But ignore my petty bitching. The Bittman video is memorable and well worth watching. 2. Meat Is The Slavery Of Our Time: Author Jim Motavalli is a senior writer at E/The Environmental Magazine and blogs for the Mother Nature Network. Here's an excerpt from his thoughtful and thought-provoking article: "In the way that slavery, once a broad social norm, later became an unthinkable crime, we can expect to see a similar shift once meat-eating disappears from our planet. Perhaps, some day, the very idea of eating animal flesh will seem as remote as the idea of owning humans does now. So if you're a carnivore, enjoy now -- before the inevitable vegetarian revolution begins." Citing several animal studies, the AAEM concludes "there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects" and that "GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health." The AAEM provides research and education in the recognition, treatment and prevention of illnesses induced by exposures to biological and chemical agents encountered in air, food and water. 4. Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil by Dara Colwell, a freelance writer from Amsterdam. This article appears on AlterNet. Industrial hemp and it's diverse applications is a green topic which deserves wide spread public exposure. Here are a few quotes from the article: "Every man-made fiber we wear, sit on, cook with, drive in, are by-products of the petroleum industry - all of which could be replaced by hemp." "In 2007, because so many farmers north and south of the border switched to growing industrial corn, the price of corn flour in Mexico skyrocketed 400 percent, sending rioters into the streets. People need to eat and to do so, they have to be able to afford food, which begs the question: How green is ethanol when it deprives folk of basic food?" "To blindly scapegoat and ignore hemp is backward thinking. At this point, we need to be forward thinking." Another article by Dara Colwell about industrial hemp Got Something To Say? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Tue, 09 Jun 2009Best Commencement Speech Ever: Paul Hawken, U. Portland, 2009I've read it several times, and IMHO Paul Hawken's is the best commencement speech ever. It's too long to reprint in full - but here are a few quotable quotes: "Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades." "This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them." "There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring." "What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world." "Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity’s willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider." "The living world is not 'out there' somewhere, but in your heart." "We are the only species on the planet without full employment. Brilliant." "At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product. We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future instead of stealing it." "Working for the earth is not a way to get rich, it is a way to be rich." Make your day! Read Paul Hawken's Entire Commencement Speech permanent link to this entry Sat, 06 Jun 2009Myths and Truths About Vegan Diet by Virginia MessinaArticle Excerpt: Virginia Messina, June 3, 2009, Seattle Vegan Examiner Nobody ever seems to be especially neutral on the topic of vegan health. Most are convinced that a vegan diet is either completely dangerous or a magic bullet cure-all. The myths about vegan eating spring from both sides of the argument and are sometimes completely contradictory. Here are a few of the most common ones. Myth #1: Vegans are at risk for iron deficiency. Truth: Actually, vegans are less likely to get iron deficiency than lacto-ovo vegetarians. Vegans consume more iron and tend to replace milk (which contains no iron and also inhibits iron absorption) with iron-rich foods. Iron from plant foods is absorbed at a lower rate than from meat, but iron deficiency anemia is no more common among vegans than any other group. Myth #2: Vegan diets are okay for adults, but not for children. Truth: Studies show that vegan kids sometimes fall short on a few nutrients compared to omnivore children, but that they have better intakes of other nutrients. All types of diets for children require careful planning. Vegan diets can provide adequate nutrition for children at all stages. Myth #3: Dairy foods cause osteoporosis because they are high in protein, so vegans — who don’t drink milk — have lower calcium needs than omnivores. Truth: Two myths in one! Unfortunately, there isn’t a shred of evidence that dairy foods cause osteoporosis. And the idea that vegans need less calcium than omnivores because of differing protein intakes is debatable. The research on this one is all over the place, with lots of conflicting studies. For now, it’s wise and responsible for vegans to meet standard recommendations for calcium. More myths to be debunked! Read the rest of the article Got Something To Say? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Mon, 25 May 2009Excellent food safety tips for leftovers from Food24, Luscious Leftovers. The article goes on to give recipe suggestions using leftovers, most of them involving animal foods. BUT... following these food safety tips is important for vegetarians and vegans too. You too can get food poisoning if you're not careful, and that's some serious not-fun! Foods left out more than two hours should be discarded. You can put hot food directly into the refrigerator or freezer. Divide leftovers into several shallow dishes so they will cool to a safe temperature quickly. Store cooked leftovers in shallow containers that are tightly covered. Try to exclude as much air as possible to reduce oxidation and loss of nutrients, flavour and colour. The smaller the container that you freeze leftovers in, the more quickly and safely the food will freeze and thaw. It's also a good idea to label and date containers that go into the freezer. Store highly perishable food in the coldest part of the fridge, preferably on a tray of ice. Eat it within two or three days, or as indicated on the product label. The coldest part of the fridge is on the middle and top shelves. The warmest part is in the door, so store eggs in their cartons on a shelf inside the fridge and not in the egg slots. (That also goes for prepared veggie foods like tofu, tofu dogs, seitan, etc) Always reheat leftovers until they are piping hot all the way through and never reheat food more than once. Reheat soups, sauces and gravies to boiling. Stir to ensure even reheating. To ensure even reheating in a microwave oven, cover food with a vented covering. Make sure to rotate and stir food halfway through cooking time and stir food again after cooking is completed. Allow food to stand for 5 minutes after cooking. Never reheat leftovers in a slow-cooker. The gradual heating promotes bacterial growth. WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT! Learn more about food storage safety from The USDA Got Something To Say? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Thu, 21 May 2009
From the OCA Newsletter, Organic Bytes #174, May 21, 2009 School Food: It's never had a reputation for being good, but these days, it's downright unhealthy. Obesity and a host of diet-related diseases are linked to the school lunch menu, which is loaded with over-processed starches, fats, genetically modified ingredients, and meats laced with hormones, antibiotics and pesticides. Squeezed into buying on the cheap, school districts buy milk that has been produced with the use of genetically-modified bovine growth hormone and beef that gets recalled for the E. coli contamination that is inevitable in factory farm operations where corn-fed cattle wade in their own waste all the way to the slaughterhouse. Very few vitamin-rich fresh fruits and vegetables are part of the lunch menu, even though it's universally understood this is the key to improving childhood and long-term health. The 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act is an opportunity to change what kids eat at school and raise a generation of kids who understand good nutrition and value locally produced, fresh, organic food. Take Action: Ask Congress for Healthy Local and Organic School Food Got something to say? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Wed, 20 May 2009
From the The Nation, May 13, 2009 (This article appears in the June 1, 2009 edition of The Nation) Our planet produces enough food to feed its more than 960 million undernourished people. The basic cause of global hunger is not underproduction; it is a production and distribution system that treats food as a commodity rather than a human right. In developing countries huge agribusinesses, fat with government subsidies, sell their unsustainable (and sometimes genetically modified) products at a reduced rate, thus making it impossible for local farmers to compete. Farmers who can't compete can't feed their own families or work their own fields. Hunger becomes both the cause and effect of poverty. Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service, says sending food aid is not a sustainable way to end hunger. Rather, people must be empowered to raise their own food. She proposes Ten Things we can do to help solve the world's growing hunger problem. Got something on your mind? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Tue, 19 May 2009EU: City of Ghent Goes Veg One Day A Week To Lose Weight and Save The PlanetDay of the Lentil Burgers: Ian Traynor, Guardian, UK, May 14 2009 On the eve of what is being touted as an unprecedented exercise, the biggest queue in the Flemish university town of 200,000 yesterday was for signatures – to collect a bag of wholefood goodies and sign up for "Donderdag – Veggie Dag", turning the burghers of Ghent into pioneers in the fight against obesity, global warming, cruelty to animals and against the myth that meat-free eating amounts to a diet of soggy lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a foul-tasting bean burger. The city council says it is the first town in Europe and probably the western world to try to make the entire place vegetarian for a day every week. Tom Balthazar, the Labour party councillor pushing the scheme, said: "There's nothing compulsory. We just want to be a city that promotes sustainable and healthy living." Every restaurant in the city is to guarantee a vegetarian dish on the menu, with some going fully vegetarian every Thursday. From September, the city's schools are to make a meat-free meal the "default" option every Thursday, although parents can insist on meat for their children. At least one hospital wants to join in. Got something to say? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Sat, 16 May 2009
"Some restaurant survival skills......Before You Get To The Restaurant......Understand what healthy food really is"Jeff Novick, MS. RD. LD. LN, serves as the Director of Health Education for the National Health Association and as the nutritionist/dietitian for the prestigious McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California. The following quotes are from his blog article, Restaurant Survival Skills "Healthy food is unprocessed unrefined whole fresh fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and in limited amounts, nuts, seeds, avocados, and if you choose to include it, lean animal protein. Unhealthy food can't be transformed into healthy food by a chef. Therefore, you will need to look for restaurants that offer these foods and have them available to you. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure." "Once you get practice in how to obtain a healthy meal, you should be able to use these principles and eat at almost any restaurant in the US." According to Savvy Veg, that's the kicker! From my experience, the biggest problems eating in restaurants are the huge servings of refined carbohydrates (e.g. white rice, pasta, bread), the generous use of fats of dubious origin, the excessive addition of salt and sugar, and the 'hidden' ingredients - i.e. flavorings (such as MSG), preservatives and food coloring - quite toxic and IMO found in 99% of all restaurant food. Unless it's an actual vegetarian or health food restaurant, there are never any whole grains available (maybe some token 'wheat' bread) in restaurants. Ditto nuts, seeds, avocados, fresh fruits and legumes. Forget about organic! My husband and I ate at a lot of restaurants on a recent three month road trip. We weren't realistically able to plan ahead, as we didn't usually know where we might stop, and had no time to research, or hunt around in strange towns for just the right place. Gas station employees and motel owners were occasionally helpful, and sometimes we got lucky! We found, as Jeff suggests, that chefs and servers are often happy - or can be persuaded - to accommodate special dietary needs, depending on what foods they have available. The safest and tastiest places we found were locally owned ethnic restaurants where you can special order something that the restaurant workers might actually eat themselves. More on the subject of eating healthy on the road Restaurants are in the business of selling food, and they'll do whatever it takes to make it tasty. That means truckloads of calories! On our trip to California, I gained ten pounds that I'm having trouble losing. I blame it on restaurants, but it might also have something to do with my tendency to eat lots of tasty food. Whatever restaurants you visit, my advice is to go heavy on the veggies and light on the carbs. Skip the fried foods and dessert. Avoid all sauces and dressings unless after quizzing the cook, you're satisfied they're safe - better yet, assume they're not. As Jeff Novick suggests, make it your business to know all the restaurants in your area, where they are, what they serve and what they'll do for you. That way you'll be prepared when your family or friends want to give you a treat and take you out to a restaurant! If you have to eat out on business, you can impress your colleagues with your restaurant knowledge and suggest several delicious options. Or, you could be one of those obnoxious people who makes a big fuss until everybody gives in and lets them choose the restaurant. If you really want to stay fit and healthy, work for yourself at home, cook your own meals, exercise daily, and don't eat at restaurants at all unless there's no way you can get out of it! When travelling, I take along a travelling kitchen and prepare my own food as much as possible. It's by far the cheapest and most nutritious way to go anywhere. I've make cooking in motel rooms into a high art! Got Something To Say? Tell Savvy Veg!permanent link to this entry Sat, 09 May 2009
You'd think that anybody who's paying attention couldn't possibly miss what's going on in the world, but sometimes we can't see the deforestation for the trees. Yesterday I read three articles which helped me connect the dots: Capitalist greed, leading to planetary destruction and global suffering - pandemics, drought, extreme poverty, starvation, mass migrations, and war. Extracts follow, although I recommend reading all three articles in full for the best effect. 1. Piggish Capitalism Endangers Us AllBy David Sirota, from Creators Syndicate, via Common Dreams, May 8, 2009 Even if you don't dig on swine, it has become impossible to avoid them. If you're not pummeled by television reports about Wall Street oinkers, you're bombarded by talk-radio rants about congressional pork and newspaper dispatches about swine flu. The bacon-flavored themes probably aren't purposefully repetitive, but that's OK because these seemingly unrelated story lines share a common bond: They are each part of what might be called piggish capitalism - an economic theory that mixes subsidization, consolidation and deregulation - and it endangers us all. Take the pandemic scare: The Associated Press says scientists suspect that swine flu began in a Mexican town that "has been protesting pollution from a large pig farm" partially owned by the Smithfield company. That's the same Smithfield that used three decades of lax anti-trust enforcement and corporate welfare to become one of the few megacorporations now controlling global agribusiness. Unregulated, taxpayer-subsidized oligopoly spreading risk - sounds familiar, right? It should, because at the very moment agribusinesses were vertically and horizontally integrating themselves, so too were financial firms. Pigs may, in fact, be the smartest domestic animal. But when charged with managing capitalism, they clearly have trouble comprehending the simplest lessons. © 2009 Creators Syndicate David Sirota is a bestselling author whose newest book is "The Uprising." He is a fellow at the Campaign for America's Future and a board member of the Progressive States Network - both nonpartisan organizations. 2. Climate Change Displacement Has Begun – but Hardly Anyone Has NoticedBy George Monbiot, from The Guardian/UK, via Common Dreams, May 8, 2009 Two weeks ago a momentous event occurred: the beginning of the world's first evacuation of an entire people as a result of manmade global warming...this appears to be the first time that an entire people have started leaving their homes as a result of current global warming. The Carteret Islands are off the coast of Bougainville, which, in turn, is off the coast of Papua New Guinea. They are small coral atolls on which 2,600 people live. Though not for much longer. There are compounding factors - the removal of mangrove forests and some local volcanic activity - but the main problem appears to be rising sea levels. Over the past few years they have been repeatedly inundated by spring tides, wiping out the islanders' vegetable and fruit gardens, destroying their subsistence and making their lives impossible. They are not, as the Daily Mail and the Times predicted, "the world's first climate-change refugees". People have been displaced from their homes by natural climate change for tens of thousands of years, and by manmade climate change for millennia (think of the desertification caused in North Africa by Roman grain production). Their numbers might be small, but this is the event that foreshadows the likely mass displacement of people from coastal cities and low-lying regions as a result of rising sea levels. The disaster has begun, but so far hardly anyone has noticed. George Monbiot is the author of the best selling books 'The Age of Consent: a manifesto for a new world order' and 'Captive State: the corporate takeover of Britain'. He writes a weekly column for the The Guardian 3. Poverty and Food Insecurity in the Developing World: For Us, Tolls the Bell"American citizens are chemically modified humans, now being destroyed at genetic level." By Arun Shrivastava, from Global Research, May 7, 2009 Blaming food insecurity and hunger on poverty [essentially, inability to earn sufficient cash to buy food] has been the official position of most governments and of international institutions like UN-FAO, World Bank, IMF, and CGIAR. Unfortunately such notions serve powerful economic and political interests that perpetuate hunger, malnutrition, diseases, illiteracy, ignorance, urban slums and filth and rural poverty globally. Those who influence the developmental agenda of governments seldom pause to think that farmers and gardeners can always grow enough food to stave off hunger and malnutrition from less than 200 square meters of land; with about 2000 square meters they can feed themselves quite well with some surplus. For rural Asians, Africans and South American farmers, growing food has been a way of life. Yet the irony is that they are facing food shortage, hunger, under-nutrition, and poor health. And yet, instead of addressing issues of nutrition and health, ‘connecting the dots’ as Michael Pollan says, the US Congress is hell bent on introducing laws with global reach that would destroy the very basis of...food security and food sovereignty. That is what the two pending legislations HR875 in the House of Representatives and S425 in the Senate, essentially seek. The latest in the bouquet of legislations is the ‘Global Food Security Act of 2009’ with global implications. Had it not been for the poor, famished independent farmers of the less developed countries, the oceans would already have turned muddy and air un-breathable. But we are all headed that way. Arun Shrivastava is a frequent contributor to Global Research Tell us what's on your mind!permanent link to this entry Wed, 06 May 2009
From the May 3, 2009 issue of Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Health and Fitness Ezine: The next time you are stuck sitting in one place for a very long time, get up and move. Sitting for extended periods markedly increases your chances of suffering a heart attack or diabetes, and dying prematurely, whether or not you exercise regularly (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, May 2009). This comes from the Canada Fitness Survey that evaluated men and women for "sitting time" in 1981 and followed them for more than 12 years. We have to explain why sitting increases risk for heart attacks and diabetes, even if you exercise. More than 80 percent of diabetics die of heart disease and diabetes can be caused by repeated high rises in blood sugar and fat after meals. When blood sugar rises too high, sugar sticks to the surface of cell membranes. Once there, sugar can never detach and is eventually converted by a series of chemical reactions to sorbitol which destroys the cell to cause blindness, deafness, heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, impotence and all the horrible side effects of diabetes. The most efficient way to prevent these high rises in blood sugar is to contract your muscles. Contracting muscles draw sugar so rapidly from the bloodstream that they can prevent this high rise in blood sugar. This effect lasts during active exercise, is maximal for up to a half hour after you stop exercising and then gradually tapers off in about 17 hours. Now we know that you should keep moving for most of your waking hours. Exercise every day, and when you are not exercising, continue to use your muscles. If your job or hobbies require you to sit, get in the habit of walking around several times an hour. Avoid being overweight, and reduce your intake of foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar when you are not exercising. The foods that cause the highest rises in blood sugar are sugars in liquid form and foods made from flour. Comment From: Jen at Boda Weight Loss Blog "It is funny how the most common sense, simplest knowledge is so surprising. Our bodies were made to move, to stand, to bend and so many health problems come from being sedentary. I know because I have worked most of my life in a job where I stand and move around and once in a while I have to sit at a computer for eight hours a day and it literally wreaks havoc on my body. When I go to stand for a break after a few hours my back is killing me." Savvy Veg Reply: "I know exactly what you mean! I work at a computer many hours a day, and every hour or so I have to jump up and go do something or else I get all stiff, grumpy and depressed. I swear my intelligence goes down and my weight goes up the more I sit! Amazing to think that a hundred years ago, most people sat very little, now most people seem to sit most of the time, even children." Got something to say? Tell us!permanent link to this entry Sat, 18 Apr 2009Spring Cleansing: Detox and Rejuvenate For Health and Beauty 
Join Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D. for a special 2 part series: Get the latest on detoxing for health and beauty! Experience the rejuvenating power of Spring! Spring Rejuvenation Teleseminar Pt 1: Create Your Own Health & Beauty Detox Plan Saturday, April 25th: 9 AM PST, 12 Noon EST Spring Rejuvenation Teleseminar Pt 2: Personal Guidance, Q & A, With Dr. Lonsdorf Saturday May 9th: 9 AM PST, 12 Noon EST Only $39 For The Two Part Spring Rejuvenation Seminar - Register Now!permanent link to this entry Fri, 17 Apr 2009
Remarkably, it isn't well known that César Chávez was a vegetarian, and vegan. César Chávez said, in 1992, during his acceptance of a Lifetime Achievement Award from In Defense of Animals, "We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to make all people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves. And that's the basis for peace. The basis for peace is respecting all creatures. . . . We cannot hope to have peace until we respect everyone--respect ourselves and respect animals and all living things. . . . We know we cannot defend and be kind to animals until we stop exploiting them – exploiting them in the name of science, exploiting animals in the name of sport, exploiting animals in the name of fashion, and yes, exploiting animals in the name of food." From an article by Stephanie Ernst: Honoring César Chávez--and His Call to Stop Eating Animals Got something to say? Tell us!permanent link to this entry Thu, 16 Apr 2009
My favorite non-profit organization, the Organic Consumer's Association, has been attacked by web hackers twice this month. OCA sees these attacks as attempts by their corporate enemies to shut down their website, and shut them up. This week they sent out a plea for help in fighting off the hacker attacks. Here's their message, from the latest issue of Organic Bytes "For the second time in a month, sophisticated hackers have attacked the OCA website. The previous attack forced us to delay putting out Organic Bytes for a week. We're not sure whether these cowardly cyber-criminals are agents of Monsanto or one of our other "profits before people" adversaries, but we are sure of one thing: nothing will stop OCA from speaking out and mobilizing for health, justice, and sustainability. Even though OCA's tireless web team have once again foiled the latest assault, these attacks are costing us valuable time and money. We need your financial support to help us strengthen our defenses and ward off future attacks." Please make a tax deductible donation to OCA today. Got something to say? Tell us!permanent link to this entry Fri, 10 Apr 2009
From the 3.29.09 issue of Dr. Mirkin's Health and Fitness Ezine: The blood levels of Vitamin D in Americans dropped significantly from 1994 to 2004 (Archives of Internal Medicine, March 2009). This is frightening because low levels of Vitamin D are associated premature death, heart attacks, strokes, and at least 17 different cancers. The authors blame the drop on campaigns aimed at reducing sun exposure because of the fear of developing skin cancer. They also note that people who rely on supplements rather than sunlight are usually deficient. The current recommended doses of vitamin D supplements are way too low (200 IU per day from birth to age 50, 400 international units per day from age 51 to 70 and 600 international units from a ge 71 and up). It is impossible to meet your needs for Vitamin D with foods. To check for vitamin D deficiency, you need a blood test called D3. If it is below 75 nmol/L, you are deficient and should expose your skin to sunlight or take at least 2000 IU of vitamin D3 twice a day for as long as it takes to raise your blood level of D3 to 75 nmol/L. Basal cell skin cancers (the most common type) are caused by excessive cumulative exposure to sunlight. Melanoma skin cancers can be caused by a single sunburn. Therefore, everyone should go out in the sun, but they should wear hats and use sun screens on the most frequently exposed areas such as the top of the ears, face, and back of the hands. The legs are probably the safest place to expose your skin to sunlight. - Dr. Gabe Mirkin Savvy Veg Comment: Maybe it's hard to reconcile your fear of skin cancer with your crucial need for Vitamin D. Adding osteoporosis to the list may push you out into the sun. Two critical factors in sun exposure are: how much sun, and when. Learn more from Dr. Alona: Q & A on Vitamin D Got something to say? Tell us!permanent link to this entry Thu, 09 Apr 2009
J. M. wrote back and graciously answered all my questions from the previous post, Veg Cooks For Carnivore "First, when I say my hubby won't eat anything green, that's just an exaggeration. He does eat green beans, peas, and zucchini. He'll also eat fried okra and the occasional sauteed green pepper. I don't limit myself to just these veggies though. Often times I'll just have a veggie I love (spinach for example) at a meal instead of whatever meat he's having." "I am slowly but surely expanding his horizons. For example, he used to not eat carrots or melons, and now he does. I just ask him to try it. I don't force him, but I gently encourage. If he hates it, I tell him he only has to have it for that one meal." "He is open to meatless meals - see my recent post regarding cheese enchiladas for example. We also share a great pesto ricotta pizza sometimes. He would prefer meat over not, but he isn't dissatisfied if I make things like this. We often joke that he has the palate of a five year old, but really he is happy with a lot of things." "As for the commingling of meat and non-meat products - the short answer is we don't. He uses a separate area on the grill and different tongs. Indoors I use separate pans and utensils - see my post about penne and peppers for pics on how I do this." "We do share our veggies/sides, and I don't cook two different meals. It's just too hard. That's why I've listed menu ideas at the end of many of my posts to help people figure this out. It's taken me a while to get it down." "I do do most of the cooking, but I love doing it, so it isn't a chore. He helps clean up afterwards and that's what matters most to me! In general, since I do the planning, shopping, and cooking, he probably makes more compromises than I do. We've learned to make it work though, and other people can too." "I'm happy to answer more questions if you have them! Thanks again for checking out my blog, Cooking4Carnivores." Got something to say? Tell us!permanent link to this entry Wed, 08 Apr 2009
J. M. wrote in response to the following veg/non-veg posts: Conversation With A Non-Vegetarian and this response, No More Taunt The Vegetarian. J. said "Hey - it's nice to see this discussion. I am veg and married a non-veg. I have worked very hard to come up with dinners we can eat together. I realized this was an issue for lots of people so I created a new blog, Cooking4Carnivores - A Vegetarian's Compromises In The Kitchen. Check it out!" After visiting J's blog, Savvy Veg - as usual - has a LOT to say:"Hi J., I checked out your blog, and there are some good recipes! But I'm more interested in the daily details - like how you plan your meals around the meat eater and the vegetarian, how you share the cooking and shopping, how you resolve conflicts. I have about a million questions for you!" "For instance, you said your husband won't eat anything green, and veggies eat lots of green (ideally) - how does that work? Does he eat any veggies (besides potatoes)? Do you try to expand his veggie horizons, or do you just give him what he wants to eat? Is he open to trying new foods, or having meatless meals - i.e. becoming an omnivore - or is he from the must-have-meat-3-times-a-day-or-die school?" "Also, you said your husband grills outside while you do something inside. How do you manage co-mingling of veggie dogs and meat on the grill? Do you buy and cook the meat or does he? Does he usually help with the cooking? Do you use separate pans for meat cooking? Does he eat your veggie dishes, with meat on the side, or do you cook two different meals?" "The questions I get from people about veg/non-veg eating together are mostly about logistics - not just recipes, but how to juggle the different demands at meal time. And power struggles - as in my way or the highway! Sharing food is basic to any relationship, and I admire you for making your veg/non-veg marriage work so well. I just hope you aren't doing all the work, and making all the compromises!" Find lacto-vegetarian recipes for the carnivores in your life at Cooking4Carnivores Got something to say? Tell us!permanent link to this entry Thu, 02 Apr 2009
If someone you know is still on the fence about eating meat, here's something I found on IVU News to help tip them over on the veggie side. Dr R.K. Pachauri is head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He is also a vegetarian who urges meatarians to go meatless at least one day a week. Dr. Pachauri's blog features videos of his speeches, as well as interviews and articles. In this PDF article, Global Warning! The Impact of Meat Production and Consumption on Climate Change, Dr. Pachauri lays out page after page of statistics and graphs. A Few Samples:
Read Dr. Pachauri's article and pass it on permanent link to this entry Wed, 01 Apr 2009
As I keep saying, the world is going veg! A vegetarian visitor wrote to say, "I really enjoyed the comments on non veg speaks. I've experienced both kinds of non-veg reactions, sometimes in the same people." "My husband and I are friends with a couple who had fun playing "taunt the vegetarian", an irritating game where the non-veg places emphasis on meat, rude elaborate descriptions of it, and tells you for the millionth time that they 'couldn't live without steak'...etc. Other than that, they've been great friends." "One day, they woke up and decided to get healthy - did a bunch of research and found out a bunch of awful things about meat heavy diets, not to mention factory farms. They almost totally cut meat out of their diet, and now are as likely to bring a vegetarian dish to a potluck as I am." "I haven't heard one rude veggie comment since. Last time they had a do at their place, they made a meat soup, and a veg version for me. I gotta say I'm enjoying the change of tune. The funny thing is, their change came entirely from them. I didn't preach, and they didn't ask." permanent link to this entry Sun, 22 Mar 2009
Savvy Vegetarian Finally Gets A Clue and Joins TwitterYes, we're a little slow on the uptake! Every so often I get messages from vistors who say they love Savvy Vegetarian, want updates, and how do they subscribe to our newsletter? I adore fan mail, and am eager to please. But I did an update newsletter before, and felt it took too much time, for too few subscribers, and got bounced out of too many mailboxes. Twitter To The Rescue! I finally realized that Savvy Vegetarian could join Twitter, post updates, and visitors could get them, without even having to join Twitter. Although. I think Twitter is fun and stops you from watching lame sitcoms on TV etc. I joined so I can get important updates from The Onion. Some say Twitter also keeps you from working and other worthwhile activities like having a life. But of course Savvy Veg visitors have more strength of character than that! So, Twitter is the new Savvy Veg newsletter, and you want to subscribe, right? Follow Us On Twitter permanent link to this entry Thu, 12 Mar 2009
From the 3.15.09 issue of Dr. Mirkin's Health and Fitness EzineIn the most recent issue, Dr. Gabe Mirkin talks about exercising over 50 to live longer. Savvy Veg hears from a lot of folks with questions about going vegetarian to lose weight, get fit and improve their health. I tiresomely repeat over and over that eating right is only part of the story. We need to exercise daily to lose fat and build muscle, particularly after 50, to avoid dying prematurely. The study referenced in the following article used men, but of course the findings apply equally to women. "Men who start or increase their exercise programs after age fifty live longer than those who remain at their present activity levels, according to a study in the British Medical Journal (March 2009)." "More than 2200 men were checked at ages 60, 60, 70, 77 and 82 years. The greater the increase in exercise duration over that span, the longer their lives were extended. The reduction in early death from increasing exercise was the same as for men who stopped smoking." "Lack of exercise is associated with obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, osteoporosis, and cancer. Exercising regularly more than halves your chance of dying prematurely (Archives of Internal Medicine, December 2007). Yet more than 50 percent of North Americans do not exercise." "Exercise prevents disease and increases life span by many mechanisms. The major benefit probably comes from the contracting muscles themselves." "A high rise in blood sugars and fats after meals damages cells. When blood sugar levels rise too high, sugar sticks to the surface of cell membranes. Once there, it can never get off, eventually killing the cells and leading to blindness, heart attacks, strokes and the other consequences of uncontrolled diabetes." "Contracting muscles draw sugar and fat so rapidly from the bloodstream that they usually prevent blood sugar levels from rising too high. This effect is maximized during exercise. The effect is maintained for about half hour after you stop exercising and gradually tapers off until it disappears after about 18 hours." "That explains why you get maximum benefit by exercising every day (rather than three times a week), and why greater benefit is gained by exercising more intensely for longer durations." Dr. Mirkin doesn't specify the kind of exercise in this article, but there are many other fitness articles on his site. permanent link to this entry Tue, 03 Mar 2009
I just got back from a three month road trip from SE Iowa to Northern California and back, with my husband. Unfortunately we didn't entirely escape the Iowa winter, but our journey was remarkable in many ways. Our 10 yr old Subaru performed beautifully, our 60+ vegetarian bodies did nearly as well, the weather devas smiled on us, and we're still together (road trips are the ultimate test of relationships). The food was mostly good, occasionally memorable! We ate lunch on the road every day, and in the evenings I usually cooked in our motel room from my travelling kitchen. More about that in a separate post. For now, I just want to tell you about some of the restaurants we encountered on the way. NOT following my own advice: We never planned our lunch stops ahead or did any research before travelling for veg friendly restaurants. There just wasn't time. When we got hungry we'd cruise the nearest decent sized town for food. We ate sandwiches in the car a couple of times, and we were forced to eat pizza twice, but otherwise avoided chain restaurants. The one exception was an Applebee's which got the prize for worst food and worse service. We found that ethnic restaurants were our best bet, Indian or Chinese most of all. They always have rice and beans, go heavy on the veggies, came closest to vegan, and almost every town has one or both. Thai restaurants are becoming more common, and Mediterranean fast food is too (as in falafel wraps etc). Whole Foods has a great deli if you can find a store. They're in most of the bigger cities - we found one in Sante Fe, NM. Mexican restaurants were iffy - the food quality is often poor, and they mostly don't do vegetables. The Chipotle mexican grill chain is reliable, as everything is freshly prepared on the premises, and there's a veggie option. We stumbled across a few outstanding (and very affordable) restaurants in our disorganized way:Tulsa OK: A little mediterranean cafe right off Hwy 44, the 4700 block on E. 51st St between Harvard and Lewis, just West of the Star Fuel Center. It had a silly name, like Happy Spud. We had the best falafel wraps there. I'd love to have their falafel and hummus recipes! Tulsa actually has a LOT of restaurants, including a couple of vegetarian, but this one was easy. Sedona AZ: Mago Cafe - Korean restaurant above a new age shop, at 207 Rt 89A, in the oldtown area. Essentially a new age noodle house. Very fresh, delicious, healthy food, peaceful atmosphere, and a great view (everywhere in Sedona has a great view). We had yummy dumplings, miso soup, brown rice, veggies, tofu. The presentation and service were lovely. We felt very special eating there - we felt special all the time in Sedona. Cheyenne, WY: The Dynasty Cafe, 600 W 19th St, had an entire vegetarian section on their menu. We ate fresh, delicious vietnamese food, spiced mild for us (their mild is our spicy). Everything was cooked there, including the divine sauces. They happily substituted green veggies for mushrooms and onions which we don't like. permanent link to this entry Fri, 13 Feb 2009
Dr. Gabe Mirkin talks a lot about plant based diet and exercise, as an effective way to prevent and control diabetes. Savvy Veg hears from a lot of diabetics and pre-diabetic people with questions about going vegetarian, and I recommend his site as an excellent resource for diabetes info From the 2.15.09 issue of Dr. Mirkin's Health and Fitness Ezine "In 2007, 233,619 Americans died from diabetes. 60 percent of the U.S. population over 65 suffers from diabetes or pre-diabetes and most have not even been diagnosed (Diabetes Care, February 2009). Four important reports should spur you to act if you have any of the risk factors for diabetes: "Diabetes Doubles Your Chances of Suffering from Dementia" (Diabetes, January 2008); "HBA1c Test Predicts Which Diabetics Will Lose Brain Function" (Diabetes Care, February 2009) "Rigorous Workouts Lasting as Little as Three Minutes May Help Prevent Diabetes by Helping to Control Blood Sugar" (BioMed Central Endocrine Disorders, February 2009); and "Exercise Capacity Predicts Which Diabetics Are at High Risk for Dying Prematurely" (Diabetes Care, March 2009)." Dr. Mirkin suggests that if you have any combination of the following risk factors, suspect that you may be diabetic and check with your doctor:
"You can become non-diabetic by losing weight, exercising, avoiding refined carbohydrates, and treating vitamin D deficiency so D3 blood test is greater than 75 nmol/L. Read more Dr. Mirkin on diagnosis and treatment of diabetes." permanent link to this entry Sat, 31 Jan 2009
This has put me up on my Savvy Veg soapbox!On Tuesday, NBC declared a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals commercial—featuring, among other suggestive images, a woman preparing to pleasure herself with a broccoli stalk—too racy to be shown during the Super Bowl. The text in PETA's advertisement reads: "Studies show vegetarians have better sex." Do they? Not necessarily, according to Nina Rastogi, Slate, 1.29.08 Ms. Rastogi's article, 'Debbie Does Salad', presents arguments for and against the claim that vegetarians have better sex. Overall, her article is tongue-in-cheek, getting a few laughs by poking fun at vegetarians. After all, the subject couln't possibly be serious - right? Some of the material in this piece is pretty funny - also dated and irrelevant, as in quotes like this: "Sylvester Graham, the crusading 19th-century dietary reformer and inventor of the eponymous cracker, believed that meat—along with feather beds, coffee, tea, and richly seasoned foods—encouraged the "degenerating habits of luxury, indolence, voluptuousness and sensuality." Equally silly are the statements that "Vegetarian diets tend to correlate with higher rates of zinc deficiency, which is closely associated with lower testosterone levels and depressed sex drives. Vegetarian women are also more likely to develop amenorrhea (loss of periods), a condition that's usually accompanied by low testosterone, vaginal dryness, and poor libido." Well, yeah! Vegetarians who know nothing about veggie nutrition, or anorexic teenage vegans - maybe. No references for these claims. If you don't mind vegetarians being ridiculed, read Nina Rastogi's article. If you have a taste for veggie porn, watch the banned PETA video ad, on the same page. Personally, I found the ad offensive and insulting. I think PETA has set back the vegetarian cause by decades, degrades healthy sex between consenting vegetarians, and is anti-feminine - liberation for animals, but not for women! permanent link to this entry Sun, 18 Jan 2009Did You Stumble Upon Savvy Vegetarian and Love It?Occasionally Savvy Vegetarian gets a message telling us that a link doesn't work, or there's something wrong with a recipe, or some information needs updating. Believe me, we appreciate it when people care enough to let us know when we mess up! Otherwise, we might take a long time to notice. But of course, our favorite messages are more like the one we got today from L R: "I stumbled upon this website about a year ago when I was looking to start eating healthily after being a glutton for the holiday season. The Jamaican Red Bean Soup is what I tried and it was DELICIOUS! My mom loved it so much that I have to make her a pot this year. I made this again this night and I'm ready to dig in with some white rice. Healthy, guilt-free, and so delicious. Can't wait to try the rest of the recipes!" Nice letters like that always make our day. But when I read L R's words 'stumbled upon', lights flashed, and bells rang! I just had to say: "Thanks so much for writing, and thanks for your kind words! Speaking of stumbling, have you heard of Stumble Upon? It's a cool website where you can post about web pages you like, vote on pages that other people like, and so on. That way more people find out about the good stuff - like Jamaican Red Bean Soup! I'm glad you stumbled across Savvy Veg - stumble it or any of the other recipes if you like them - there's a stumble button on every page of Savvy Vegetarian." We won't go and stumble our own pages - that wouldn't be ethical. Maybe even suggesting it to you is shameless self-promotion. But what the heck. If you're a fan of Savvy Vegetarian, Stumble It! permanent link to this entry Fri, 09 Jan 2009
I had an interesting email exchange yesterday with A., who started with a rant (referring to things I said in my veg-nonveg report.), and ended with some practical suggestions to make life easier for new vegetarian college students. A: "Respect goes both ways. I am not vegetarian but grew up in a veg-friendly environment and come from a family that eats meat but is not "meat addicted" (we don't eat it often, we don't miss it if it's not there, and we know a diet can be perfectly healthy and balanced without it). I would not dream of mocking, questioning, or interfering with my veg friends' lifestyles." "I don't think of my veg friends as "closet anorexics", dietary extremists, My Token Vegan Friend, or some other uninformed, dehumanizing, stereotype." "I would appreciate that they, in turn, do not describe me in terms that bring up images of a blood-slurping lion hovering over a carcass. Those of us who are not vegetarian/vegan are not carnivores: We are omnivores (or "non-veg"). I've yet to meet a person whose diet was primarily-to-exclusively meat, which is what "carnivore" means. Even "meat and potatoes" men eat potatoes. Dogs aren't even true carnivores; they're omnivores, too (mine's favorite treat ever is frozen broccoli)." "There ARE non-vegetarians out there who already think that vegetarians are normal, do not flee in terror at the prospect of tofu, and have no trouble serving tasty meatless meals. Apparently we are a silent group?" Savvy Veg: "I agree, respect goes both ways. It does seem that you're a member of a silent group, and so are the vegetarians who respect freedom of choice. It's the extremists who are most vocal - they feel threatened by anybody who's different from them, or they have all the zeal of the recently converted." "Have you expressed these eloquent thoughts to the veg friends who characterize you as 'a blood-slurping lion hovering over a carcass' because you eat some meat? Maybe it's time to get vocal, and roar at a few people." "New vegetarians in particular may have difficulty integrating, partly because their own attitudes and demands on other people may be unrealistic or extreme, and partly because they do encounter hostility or resistance." "This resistance takes many forms, and has some surprising sources - like your own parents, siblings, and friends, also public and semi-public events such as restaurants, parties and company gatherings. The degree of acceptance also depends a lot on where you live. Rural areas in general, and the midwest, tend to be less tolerant, and more meat oriented." "It takes some life experience as a vegetarian to learn to navigate socially without causing offense or generating hostile behavior. That's true for non-veg as well. I hope that things have evolved, and that it's getting easier for both sides. I'll revisit my reports and revise with your thoughts and experiences in mind." A: "I went to school in Iowa (pig country) but am from Southeast Texas (beef/seafood country). Even the vegetables here have bacon in them. Well, ours don't, but just about everyone else's do. The irony is that I grew up in a liberal Quaker church environment, and there are lots of veg Quakers. It's a semi-breach of etiquette to bring anything meat, especially red meat, to potlucks (if you do, it should have a little card with a warning on it)." "Forgive me if you have already written this and I failed to find it on your website, but I'd like to suggest that college campuses are often very good places to network with other vegetarians, even in regions that are not particularly veg-friendly. Lots of reasons: College is often where we're on our own for the first time and have more control over our lives and eating habits. College is where many of us experiment with our identities. All kinds of people go to college: Even a sports-and-agriculture school like Texas A&M is going to have a lot of people who are there for reasons other than sports and agriculture." "I was lucky: I went to a reasonably vegetarian-friendly college. The dining hall food wasn't fancy, and the menu was somewhat limited (for everyone, not just for vegetarians) but it tasted pretty good and always had substantial vegetarian and vegan options." "Some colleges allow their dorm lounges to be reserved for parties (or have rooms that kids can reserve; ours had rooms in the student union that could be reserved free), or if the vegetarian lives in off-campus housing and has a kitchen, s/he could host a potluck dinner." "College-age vegetarians ought to try putting up fliers or putting ads in the campus newspaper to try to bring some of those other closet vegetarians and "veg allies" out into the open so they know they're not alone." "Some of the older students may also have been vegetarian longer and may have food advice, veg cookbooks or recipes, and other helpful suggestions. They may also meet other vegetarian viewpoints in an environment that is less antagonistic than in the "general population," and get pointers on how to communicate with non-veg family/friends in ways that are less likely to raise hackles." Savvy Veg: "I haven't really covered the issue of college vegetarians networking, but it's an excellent idea. I think that students who are 'different' tend to be more isolated and lonely in high school, but find more like minds at college." A: "That was certainly me, although not for food reasons." Savvy Veg: "They also look for support online, but there's nothing like face-to-face." A: "Definitely" permanent link to this entry Mon, 05 Jan 2009Second Thoughts on Global Warming and Sustainable AgricultureTwo articles grabbed my attention in Common Dreams today. Bill McKibben is the author of 'Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future', scholar in residence at Middlebury College, and cofounder of 350.org. In his article, he shoots down a half dozen common delusions about global warming:
If you're thinking any of those thoughts, read what Bill has to say about climate change, and think again! Wes Jackson is a plant geneticist and president of The Land Institute in Salina, Kan. Wendell Berry is a farmer and writer in Port Royal, Ky. They tell us why we need a national agricultural policy based on ecological principles, and a 50-year farm bill to forthrightly address the problems of soil loss and degradation, toxic pollution, fossil-fuel dependency and the destruction of rural communities. They're hoping President Obama will stand and deliver. I'm not sure one man can pull this off - I think it will depend on the rising strength of collective consciousness. Read 50 Year Farm Bill and see what you think. permanent link to this entry Tue, 04 Nov 2008
From The IVU Newsletter: Paul Appleby of Oxford Vegetarians (IVU) sent in the following research report: Journal American Dietetic Association. 2008 Oct;108(10):1636-45: A recent study by David Jenkins and colleagues shows that a vegan diet compares favourably with a conventional diabetes management diet Study: Changes in Nutrient Intake and Dietary Quality among Participants with Type 2 Diabetes Following a Low-Fat Vegan Diet or a Conventional Diabetes Diet for 22 Weeks. Turner-McGrievy GM, Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJ, Gloede L, Green AA.Background: Although vegan diets improve diabetes management, little is known about the nutrient profiles or diet quality of individuals with type 2 diabetes who adopt a vegan diet. Objective: To assess the changes in nutrient intake and dietary quality among participants following a low-fat vegan diet or the 2003 American Diabetes Association dietarybrecommendations. Design: A 22-week randomized, controlled clinical trial examining changes in nutrient intake and diet quality. Subjects/Setting: Participants with type 2 diabetes (n=99) in a free-living setting. Research Design and Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet or a 2003 American Diabetes Association recommended diet. Main Outcome Measures: Nutrient intake and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) scores were collected at baseline and 22 weeks. Statistical Analyses Performed: Between-group t tests were calculated for changes between groups and paired comparison t tests were calculated for changes within-group. Pearson's correlation assessed relationship of AHEI score to hemoglobin A1c and body weight changes. Results: Both groups reported significant decreases in energy, protein, fat, cholesterol, vitamin D, selenium, and sodium intakes. The vegan group also significantly reduced reported intakes of vitamin B-12 and calcium, and significantly increased carbohydrate, fiber, total vitamin A activity, beta carotene, vitamins K and C, folate, magnesium, and potassium. The American Diabetes Association recommended diet group also reported significant decreases in carbohydrate and iron, but reported no significant increases. The vegan group significantly improved its AHEI score (P<0.0001), while the American Diabetes Association recommended diet group did not (P=0.7218). The difference in AHEI score at 22 weeks between groups was significant (P<0.0001). With both groups combined, AHEI score was negatively correlated with both changes in hemoglobin A1c value (r=-0.24, P=0.016) and weight (r=-0.27, P=0.007). Conclusions: Vegan diets increase intakes of carbohydrate, fiber, and several micronutrients, in contrast with the American Diabetes Association recommended diet. The vegan group improved its AHEI score whereas the American Diabetes Association recommended diet group's AHEI score remained unchanged. permanent link to this entry Mon, 20 Oct 2008
We've all heard (or experienced first hand) that gall stones aren't fun. But you know, I've been a veganish vegetarian for a long time, I'm 61, and I've never had a gall bladder attack - touch wood. Which makes me wonder. Dr. Mirkin's report on gall stones gives me the distinct impression that a healthy vegetarian diet is a great way to prevent them. Not that he comes right out and recommends going veg. But he does say that the best way to treat gall stones is to prevent them, and the best diet for that is a low fat plant based diet. And other interesting things, such as that being overweight or losing weight rapidly are the main culprits, and why. And that having your gall bladder removed isn't always a good idea... Why not just read the whole report! permanent link to this entry Sun, 12 Oct 2008
*pretty darn good, kick butt 
HRH Prince Charles gave a tough anti-gmo speech Oct 2 2008. Besides being Britain's heir to the throne, The Prince is also an organic farmer, and environmentalist. He was invited to speak by Dr. Vandana Shiva, international environmental activist, and founder of Navdanya, the Indian pressure group for agricultural reform.
Prince Charles' speech (the Sir Albert
Howard Memorial Lecture) has been pretty much blacked out in the U.S. press, but was covered by
The Independent, UK.
Geoffrey Lean reports: In a provocative address to an Indian audience, the Prince echoes
Gandhi with a stinging attack on 'commerce without morality'. Although he is one of the richest men in Britain, and has been accused of agitating for personal gain, Prince Charles remains committed to battling GMO crops. "The reason I keep sticking my 60-year-old head above an increasingly dangerous parapet is not because it is good for my health," he said "but precisely because I believe fundamentally that unless we work with nature, we will fail to restore the equilibrium we need in order to survive on this planet." According to the report in The Independent: The Prince attacked the contention that "GM food is now essential to feed the world", saying that the evidence showed that modified crops' yields were "generally lower than their conventional counterparts". He called them "a wrong turning on the route to feeding the world in a sustainable or durable manner" and "a risky and expensive distraction, diverting attention and resources away from those real, long-term solutions such as crop varieties which respond well to low input systems that, in turn, do not rely on fossil fuels." There was substantial evidence "to show that a growing world population can be fed most successfully in the long term by agricultural systems that manage the land within environmental limits". Read The Independent's report on Prince Charles' speech Get Prince Charles' full speech on YouTube permanent link to this entry Fri, 26 Sep 2008
Trying to lose weight? Here's a nice little reality check from Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine. A new study shows that older people who diet without exercising lose huge amounts of muscle. When weight loss was combined with exercise, they did not lose muscle ( Journal of Applied Physiology. October, 2008). Loss of muscle slows metabolism even further because larger muscles burn more calories at rest. In this study, elderly sedentary people were placed in three groups: 1) Diet only, 2) exercise only, 3) diet and exercise. Those who dieted and exercised for four months lost more fat and less muscle than those who only dieted. Most of the exercisers chose to walk on a treadmill, which is not a very vigorous endeavor. This also explains why losing weight repeatedly through dieting shortens a person's life span. Many people go on diets and lose weight, quickly regain their lost weight and then go on a diet again. These people then become fatter at the same weight because they have lost so much muscle. Therefore at the same weight, they have fuller fat cells. Full fat cells produce immune stimulants called cytokines that turn on a person's immunity continuously to cause inflammation, which increases risk for cancers, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and other harmful diseases. SV Note: Looking on the bright side, exercise does make you feel more cheerful and energetic - once you can breathe again! permanent link to this entry Thu, 25 Sep 2008
From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine A study from Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, U.K. shows that high levels of urinary Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical compound commonly used in plastic packaging for food and beverages, is associated with heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and abnormal liver tests (JAMA. Sept 17, 2008). BPA can break down to form female hormones called estrogens that are linked to breast and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and may also cause birth defects. You are exposed to BPA, primarily through food, drinking water, tooth sealants that you may receive in a dentist's office, and exposure through your skin and lungs from household dusts. Ninety percent of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their urines. Although the safety of BPA is still uncertain, you would be prudent to limit your exposure. The primary concerns are plastic water bottles and baby bottles. Each bottle is supposed to have a number in a circle stamped on the bottom. Try to avoid the following numbers. At a minimum, do not re-use bottles or containers with these numbers. Do not freeze or reheat foods or beverages in them:
Plastic products that bear the following numbers appear to be safe:
SV Note: Considering that most plastic isn't biodegradable, and ends up in landfills, or littering every part of the planet, it could be wise to avoid them altogether! permanent link to this entry Mon, 15 Sep 2008
Fairfield, IA: No hurricanes, tornados or floods so far this month, but it has rained A LOT. From the bright side of alternative news, here are a few rays of sunshine to brighten up a gloomy week. Sixty Thousand Organic Consumers and Locavores Visit "Slow Food Nation"From OCA: In an amazing demonstration of mass public support and creativity, sixty thousand people attended the nation's first Slow Food Nation convention in San Francisco on Labor Day weekend, underlining America's need and desire for a new system of food and farming that is local, organic, and Fair Trade--not to mention delicious. Among the major themes at the conference was a call to eliminate labor exploitation in the natural and organic food sector. More About Slow Food Nation OCA Plants Peace at the RNC
"The Organic Consumers Association's Planting Peace brigade actively participated in a series of rallies, street protests, and concert/teach-ins at the Republican National Convention last week, along with tens of thousands of other participants. OCA's Planting Peace contingent supplied organic food and literature to musicians, volunteers, and protesters at the 'Ripple Effect' concert and march on September 2, which culminated in a massive and dramatic street march on the RNC." "Throughout the week, despite tear-gas, police dragnets, and intimidation ... OCA staff and volunteers spread the positive message that a local, energy-efficient, and Fair Trade system of organic food and farming represents a lifesaving cure for America's current 'quadruple crisis' of food, health, climate, and energy." Wiki Goes GreenSan Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 9, 2008: Wikia, Inc. has launched Wikia Green, a project to build a community generated online resource for green topics and issues. Just as with Wikipedia, anyone can edit or change Wikia Green to reflect the most current green topics and information. Jimmy Wales, Co-founder of Wikia, Inc., said "As the whole notion of 'going green' has exploded, so too has the volume of related information floating around on the Internet...for the average person looking for tips on how to lead a more sustainable lifestyle, it can be difficult to know where to start." Wikia Green will initially focus on six main content areas: Green How To Guides, Going Local, The Green Movement, Sustainable Living, Environmental Issues, Green Science and Technology. Victory on G.E. Alfalfa CaseUCS FEED Newsletter 9.08: "In an opinion issued September 2, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the reversal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) approval of Roundup Ready herbicide-tolerant, genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. In a landmark decision, the Appeals Court agreed with the lower court that the USDA had not adequately considered either the economic impact on organic and conventional alfalfa farmers from inevitable contamination of their crops by GE alfalfa or the environmental harm from herbicide-resistant weeds. The case was brought by the Center for Food Safety". "This important decision affirms that the USDA has been doing a poor job enforcing environmental laws for the regulation of GE crops. The agency needs to take seriously both the economic as well as the environmental harm of gene contamination from GE crops." - UCS senior scientist Doug Gurian-Sherman, who served as an expert witness for the original case. Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle. permanent link to this entry Sun, 14 Sep 2008
Sunday, September 28, Central Park, NYC: Walk for Farm Animals with the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Raise awareness about institutional animal abuse while raising funds for Farm Sanctuary, so they can continue their vital rescue, advocacy, and education efforts. Start walking for farm animals from Columbus Circle at 12 noon. Come back for free vegan food from The Groovy Baker, live afrobeat and rock music, and a raffle for some fantastic prizes including dinner for two at New York's best vegetarian restaurants. There will also be appearances by celebrity supporters including rapper Princess Superstar, and vegan Iron Man champion Brendan Brazier, plus Senator Liz Krueger, Freeman Wicklund from Mercy for Animals, and Farm Sanctuary Director Jeff Lydon. Learn more about Walk for Farm Animals. Over 50 walks will take place around the country on or around October 2nd. Sign Up Here. permanent link to this entry Sat, 06 Sep 2008Go Eggless: Savvy Veg Visited This Great Vegetarian Blog, and Recommends ItGo Eggless provides information for anyone who is vegetarian, vegan, or does not eat eggs. The author is a female vegetarian who does not eat eggs. She says that the hardest thing about her diet is when she goes out to eat. It is often difficult to know what menu items are without eggs. To make life easier for everybody, she writes to various restaurants and asks them to provide lists of their vegetarian and "eggless" menu items. And researches stores like Trader Joes for vegetarian and vegan products. Go Eggless Likes Cooking, and wants to be as healthy as possible in a a realistic way. By realistic she means without going to extremes. For instance, she wishes she could cook everyday, but let's face it - that's next to impossible to do in the working world of today. I'm sure that will strike a chord for many of you! It does for me. Go Eggless Has Succeeded In Her Quest: From the posts that I saw, it seems that many restaurants have taken her seriously, and provided valuable information about their menus. (great that restaurants are finally starting to cater to vegetarians, instead of treating us like annoying freaks!) One post is about Chipotle Mexican Grill, where I ate with my daughter - she already knew the drill, and steered me to the black bean burrito. Of course, Go Eggless asks for vegan options when querying restaurants! Plus, Go Eggless Has Yummy Recipes! For a special treat, try this vegan brownie recipe, which uses a mix: The Go Eggless author says the're the best she's ever eaten. permanent link to this entry Fri, 05 Sep 2008Vegetarian Diet, Consciousness, and CompassionThanks to Darren C., who wrote the following thoughtful letter in response to the July 15 post, 'The Only Diet for a Peacemaker Is a Vegetarian Diet'. Darren's letter reminded me of a book I recently read, Dr. Will Tuttle's 'The World Peace Diet', which expands on the same theme. "I just read Rev. Dear's article and your comments and thoughts. I really enjoyed his articles as did I your comments. Truthfully being vegetarian, something that has been part of my life for some 23 years now, is something that evolves from a growing awareness of the reality of our modern world. As a compassionate human being it is unthinkable to knowingly inflict suffering on other sentient beings. However my own journey was a gradual revelation." Dissociation From Our Food Supply: "The obvious connection between an animal and meat is not always apparent.Many people do not even associate animals with what they buy at the store or in a restaurant, especially in the "developed" world where meats come in neat packages that have no apparent connection to the beings who were sacrificed for their creation. In many countries I have visited, animals are butchered in the open, some with reverence and thanks, others with cruelty and zero compassion, while both remain a very sad sight for my vegetarian eyes. In some ways I prefer to see that stark reality because at least those that do consume meat in such places have a direct vision of what they are doing, unlike in the developed world where we are a lot more dissociated from our food supply." Waste: "Several key points arise from this item of discussion and one of those is waste. I believe that in a world where we are disconnected from our food supply it becomes easier to be wasteful than when we are directly involved in the production and growing of our food. I would hazard a guess that we waste more in the developed and even urban world than areas where people are more connected to their food." The Value of Life: "Another item to consider is the act of killing itself. It would seem to me that if you can kill an animal for food, the value you place on life may be somewhat lessened." Speciesism: "I would further add an item that complicates this topic a little further and that is another cultural quirk of human nature, one some refer to as speciesism. When growing up in the UK and before becoming a vegetarian, I made no connection to animals and food most of the time, although I do remember how we would think how cruel the French were for eating horses and the Koreans for eating dogs. I have since realized the ridiculous nature of these thoughts, although it does illustrate how the mind can justify certain things and not see the broader reality." Evolution: "After all is said and done, I truly identify with the points brought up in the Reverend's article. Through more widespread education, connection to nature, spirit and our food supply and awareness of the realities of how food comes to our table, I believe the natural evolution of human consciousness has to be towards a vegetarian diet." permanent link to this entry Sun, 31 Aug 2008Take a Break From Fun In The Sun With COTG!!
Carnival of the Green is a roving digest of the green blogosphere, managed by Treehugger. COTG visits a new green blog each week, bringing eco-green-sustainable bytes to entertain and enlighten. Last weeks Carnival appeared at Life Goggles. Next week COTG moves to Tiny Choices. Some of us start gearing down for Labor Day Weekend several days ahead. Some of us don't seem to know that we're allowed to take vacations, or have forgotten how. Thanks to those dedicated workaholic greenies, Carnival of the Green is happening right here, right now! Trying, Or Continuing? Sally Kneidel at Veggie Revolution tells how, in his last few months, Bush is trying to undermine the Endangered Species Act - a parting gift to his corporate cronies. Only in America! Green Grocery Shopper Conumdrum: To drive to the cheaper grocery store, or to to one that's more expensive, but within biking distance, these are the kinds of decisions greenies like Marguerite Manteau-Rao face every day. 46 Simple Ways to Save Cash Now with Green Travel: -- Elizabeth covers everything from planning the trip, to getting around. Save money and make your travels eco-friendly at the same time. iPhone + Green = ? Karina at Tiny Choices takes a look at the most eco and green-friendly accessories for her new iPhone. We Can, But Will We? Natalie Bennett in the U.K. explores the topic, What We Can Learn From the Roman Empire. CSA Anyone? Joe at Eco-Joe's offers a review (with pictures) of a local, organic produce delivery company in Raleigh, NC.
Beth Terry At Fake Plastic
Fish Says, "While single-use compostable containers and utensils are certainly a better option than
non-biodegradable plastic, they are still a source of waste and require materials and energy to manufacture." Green Readers! 10 ways to recycle books without creating waste! Mrs. Green presents excellent ideas for paying books forward. 15 Must Read Books That Will Forever Change How You See The World: Sarah Irani of Eco Salon says these 15 are essential reading for anyone interested in sustainability, human and animal welfare, and the future of the planet. Well, I Never! Fight Club The Greenest Movie In 10 Years! Nimic takes a look at the green and anti-consumerist message presented in the movie, and applies the lessons to everyday life. Viva Los Verde Vegas: How To Green Your Los Vegas Home Some good ideas. But, excuse me, isn't Los Vegas in a desert? Wouldn't it way easier to green your home in - say, Portland, Oregon! Leave No Trace In Your Favorite Wild Place: Steve Sergeant is host of the weekly N.P.R. podcast, The Wildebeat. He tells in a one minute audio how to go into the wilderness without leaving a trace of your being there, taking only photos, bugbites, and sunburn as souvenirs. Renewable Energy in Hawaii: Hawaii is making great strides in the use of solar energy. But I have to say - when I went to Hawaii, it struck me that American culture is redundant there, and the best way to save energy would be for the tourist industry to collapse, and all the energy-hogging Americans and Europeans to go away. 4 Reasons Why Green is Good, But Isn't Always Better: Linsey B. Knerl asks the tough questions: "Is it possible that we've taken 'green' issues at more than their face value? Do we accidentally limit our discernment and give false credence to anything that calls itself 'globally-aware'"? Re-Useable BPA Free Bottles: Nature Mom reviews all the choices for families. Very useful article, with a 'bottle giveaway' for commenters. Savvy Veg Read This In Common Dreams: A Modest Proposal For Sustainable Eating. This weekend in San Francisco, Slow Food Nation's expo and conference is "modestly billed as the largest celebration of food in history ... the event is part detox program and part renewal agenda." Savvy Veg agrees with all 10 points of the slow food checklist, but would add that you should probably filter your tap water before drinking, and consider going vegetarian as point #11. Treehugger and Savvy Vegetarian thank you for making Carnival of the Green a part of your holiday weekend. See you next week at Tiny Choices. permanent link to this entry Thu, 17 Jul 2008Breadtopia: Heavenly Bread Making Blog, With Easy, No-Knead, Artisan BreadBreadtopia is a heavenly bread baking support site - blog actually - for breadmaking, complete with excellent bread and pizza recipes, accompanied by video tutorials, recommended bread cookbooks, and a full line of bread-making supplies. Eric and Denyce Rush started Breadtopia to share their passion for bread with the world. What sets Breadtopia apart is that it's a truly interactive site, driven by their above-and-beyond attitude. It's all in the details: Complete, easy, thoroughly tested bread recipes; relaxed, easy-to-follow bread making video tutorials; Eric's friendly, knowledgable responses to the posted comments, and the posters themselves. The posted comments are a very useful feature of Breadtopia, full of the posters' helpful tips, shared passion for bread, and enthusiastic appreciation for Breadtopia. There were no less than 398 comments on the no-knead bread recipe! Eric links to the best comments and adds them to the recipes. Future Trends: I noticed that Breadtopia had a great looking recipe for Moist Whole Wheat Banana Bread, using baking soda. It called for butter, eggs, and honey, but could easily be made vegan using veggie spread or oil, agave nectar or corn syrup, and a little extra banana in place of the eggs. There was also Denyce's yummy strawberry rhubarb pie recipe, which Eric nominates as The Ultimate Food. Just use a vegan pie crust and skip the egg wash, to make it The Ultimate Vegan Food. I'm hoping that Breadtopia will soon branch out into unyeasted flat breads, which I love - polenta, chapatis, puris, naan bread, tortillas, etc. If you've always wanted to whip up professional quality, divinely delicious artisan bread for pennies and almost no effort - Breadtopia is the place to go. permanent link to this entry Tue, 15 Jul 2008The Only Diet for a Peacemaker Is a Vegetarian Diet - by John Dear, for the National Catholic Reporter
Rev, John Dear S.J. is a Jesuit Priest, Peace Activist, Organizer, Lecturer, Retreat leader, and author/editor of 20 books on peace and nonviolence, including Living Peace, published by Doubleday. Archbishop Desmond Tutu has nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.John Dear's gentle article, or rather, sermon, 'The Only Diet for a Peacemaker Is a Vegetarian Diet', starts off briefly documenting the environmental damages from the first world's meat based diet, the attendant animal cruelty, and the health issues. Then Fr. John addresses the elephant in the room, which both herbivore and omnivore avoid - the moral issue: Our largely violent and destructive presence on this planet is an extension of our habit of enslaving and mistreating animals, killing and eating them, when there is no need to do so. Fr. John Dear says, "A vision of a nonviolent world, all creatures nonviolent, children safely at play with them, and no violence anywhere. That is the peaceful vision of creation that we are called to pursue — in every aspect of our lives, from the jobs we hold, to our use of gasoline and alternative energies, to what we eat and wear, say and do." "... for me being vegetarian boils down to peacemaking. If you want to be a peacemaker ... reflecting the sentiments of Leo Tolstoy, you will want to eat as peaceful a diet as possible. 'Vegetarianism,' Tolstoy wrote, 'is the taproot of humanitarianism.' Other great humanitarians like Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer and Thich Nhat Hanh agree. The only diet for a peacemaker is a vegetarian diet." When Fr. Dear's mild, peaceful article appeared in Common Dreams a few days ago, it not surprisingly polarized vegetarians and non-vegetarians, aka herbivores and omnivores. There have been more than 90 intensely passionate comments posted to date, many of them as long or longer than Fr. Dear's article, with very strong emotion on both sides. Debate raged on the following topics: whether or not humans are natural herbivores or omnivores, whether the bible supports vegetarianism, was Hitler a vegetarian (no), people's individual rights to eat however they please, the insufferable moral superiority of vegetarians vs. the selfish greedy behavior of meat eaters. Personally, I agree with Fr. Dear. BUT. For what it's worth, here's my view on vegetarian diet and peacemaking:From my own experience and observation, lifestyle changes such as going vegetarian tend to follow from growth in consciousness, or spiritual evolution. Peace comes from within. Without that inner change, outer change doesn't get much support. When you become a more peaceful person, a more peaceful diet follows, easily and naturally, along with other more peaceful behavior. I feel that it's futile to pressure people to go vegetarian as a way of changing their behavior. As John Dear says, "If you want to be a peacemaker ..." (my italics). Desire is the key. To John Dear, being vegetarian is probably as natural as breathing, and that's how it should be. He became vegetarian as an extension of his spiritual path, when he entered the Jesuit order, after whatever personal evolution led to that step. I tried to go vegetarian at age twenty, with lots of confusion, doubt, ignorance, resistance - and malnutrition. I had to go back to square one - eating meat. During that time, I learned to meditate (Transcendental Meditation). As my stress levels dropped, and body and mind became more clear, coherent, and peaceful, my desire to go vegetarian was naturally supported. My vegetarian knowledge and skills continue to grow without effort or conflict on my part. Although it's clear to me that the world would be better off following a plant based diet, and I don't hesitate to say so, I don't want to make vegetarian diet into a religion (vegetarianism). Whatever a person's path, and wherever they are in becoming vegetarian, I try to offer practical vegetarian advice and support, based on what they need, from whatever knowledge I have, and quietly continue my meditation practice. Read Fr. John Dear's article 'The Only Diet for a Peacemaker Is a Vegetarian Diet' permanent link to this entry Sat, 12 Jul 2008Meat of the Matter: E Magazine on the Environmental Consequences of Livestock, And Why It's Important To Go VegetarianBy Jim Motovelli, from the July/August 2008 cover story of E - The Environmental Magazine. "Ask most Americans about what causes global warming, and they'll point to a coal plant smokestack or a car's tailpipe. But it's two other images that should be granted similarly iconic status: the front and rear ends of a cow."I like Jim Motovelli's article, because it pulls together in one place the thoughts that have been rolling around in my head for years, and just lately appearing here, there and everywhere (an encouraging sign). 'Meat of the Matter' has lots of satisfying factual detail about what the global obsession with meat is doing to the environment, followed by a concise, compelling argument for vegetarian diet as the cure for environmental degradation, and global warming. Below are a few choice quotes from the article: "According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the American meat industry produced more than 1.4 billion tons of waste in 1997 — five tons for every U.S. citizen and 130 times the volume of human waste. Michael Jacobson, the longtime executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, adds the fact that just one midsized feedlot churns out half a million pounds of manure each day. 'The methane that cattle and their manure produce has a global warming effect equal to that of 33 million automobiles,' the Center reports in its book 'Six Arguments for a Greener Diet.'" "To understand livestock's impact on the planet, you have to consider the size of the industry. It is the single largest human-related use of land. Grazing occupies an incredible 26 percent of the ice and water-free surface of the planet Earth. The area devoted to growing crops to feed those animals amounts to 33 percent of arable land. Meat production is a major factor in deforestation as well, and grazing now occupies 70 percent of previously forested land in the Amazon region. In Brazil, 60 to 70 percent of rainforest destruction is caused by clearing for animal pasture, one reason why livestock accounts for nine percent of human-caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Other sources of CO2 include the burning of diesel fuel to operate farm machinery and the fossil fuels used to keep barns warm during the winter." "The environmental consequences of meat-based diets extend far beyond their impact on climate change. According to the UN report, producing the worldwide meat supply also consumes a large share of natural resources and contributes to a variety of pressing problems. Livestock production consumes eight percent of the world’s water (mainly to irrigate animal feed); causes 55 percent of land erosion and sediment; uses 37 percent of all pesticides; directly or indirectly results in 50 percent of all antibiotic use; and dumps a third of all nitrogen and phosphorous into our fresh water supplies." "The few commentators who have taken on the connection between meat consumption and global warming ignore the most obvious solution: not eating meat.""Jim Mason, coauthor of the book 'The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter (Rodale Books)', offers another possible reason we've kept vegetarianism off the mainstream agenda. 'People who eat meat and animal products are in denial about anything and everything having to do with animal farming,' he says. 'They know that it must be bad, but they don't want to look at any part of it. So all of it stays hidden and abuses flourish — whether of animals, workers or the environment.'" "Offer these facts to many meat eaters, and they'll respond that they can't be healthy without meat. 'Where would I get my protein?' is a common answer. But the latest medical research shows that the human body does not need meat to be healthy. Indeed, meat is high in cholesterol and saturated fat, and a balanced vegetarian diet provides all the protein needed for glowing health. Were humans 'meant' to eat meat, just because our ancestors did? Nonsense, says Dr. Milton Mills, a leading vegetarian voice. 'The human gastrointestinal tract features the anatomical modifications consistent with an herbivorous diet,' he asserts." For years, many environmentalists have been among those in denial about the the environmental effects of a meat based diet. I'm relieved to say that seems to be changing. Read the article, 'Meat Of The Matter', July/August 2008 cover story, E - The Environmental Magazinepermanent link to this entry |
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