July 2003

As we roll into summer, it is already time to start thinking about our future activities. For one thing, Outpost is holding its Wellness Fest on Sunday, Sept. 7 (same day as our potluck), in the afternoon until 5 PM. Do we want to have a table there? The registration deadline is August 1, so we need to move on this if we want to do it. For another thing, October 1 is World Vegetarian Day; we have not previously done anything for that, but we might want to consider whether we should. If we start thinking about this now, instead of in September (as in the past), we would have time to get something going. Also, we really need to finalize a venue for the Pre-Thanksgiving Feast as soon as possible, in order to be sure of obtaining it. And finally, this year’s Great American Meat-Out was a bit of a fiasco because we were caught assuming that we could do the same thing as before, and had to scramble when we learned too late that we couldn’t. Let’s start coming up with some ideas now, so we can do better next year.

Our next potluck is coming right up on July 6, and it seems to me that this would be the right place and time – yes, already! – to start brainstorming all these things. Come and take part in the discussions; if you can’t make it, phone me to contribute your ideas at (414) 962-2703 or email us at chuckgyver@aolcom. Everyone’s input helps! After all, half of MARV’s purpose is to let people know that we exist as a resource and that vegetarianism is an idea worth considering – and this means doing activities that will put us in the public eye. See you Sunday/ hear from you soon!

Sunday, July 6, 5:30 PM, regular potluck at the Friends’ Meeting House, 3224 N. Gordon Pl. (from Humboldt Blvd. in Riverwest, go east on Auer a few short blocks to the parking lot).

Focus will be a showing, in one of the separate rooms down there, of a documentary film in video format titled "Eating" (it should be good!).

Subsequent regular potlucks will be at the same place and time on Aug. 3 and Sept. 7.

The July 13 macro potluck will be at noon (note the time!) at Judy and Ron Strampe’s in Muskego; phone 422-1370 for directions.

The Aug. 17 macro potluck will also be at noon, at Emily Feddersen’s place on North Silver Beach Rd., about a mile from Harrington Beach off I-43. Phone (262) 285-3331 for exact directions – you can arrive early if you want to walk on the beach first.

For those who take this on the internet, the paper version will have a cartoon of two women eating at a restaurant, with one saying to the other: "I started my vegetarianism for health reasons, then it became a moral choice, and now it’s just to annoy people."

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

A letter in response to a NY Times article on prion diseases read:

" ‘Mad Cows, Sane Cats: Making Sense of the Species Barrier’ is a fascinating look at the complications related to cross-breed feeding. I would like to know, however, how far these permutations must be tested before the obvious is brought to light: cows should not be fed to other cows. Pigs should not be fed to cows. Cows should not be fed to deer. Pigs should not be fed to elk. Raccoons should not be fed to sheep. Sheep should not be fed to goats.

As a lifelong carnivore, I hate to say it, but tofu is ‘what’s for dinner’ tonight!"

-- Sarah Kapps, Philadelphia

This past month saw some follow-up on last month’s news about a case of mad cow disease being found in Canada, mostly regarding the slaughter of several hundred additional cattle to try to determine whether other cases can be found. So far, none have been.

Other news about the things that happen due to meat-eating included an item on the penalties that a judge imposed on two Maine salmon farms for operating without Clean Water Act permits (and polluting the sea floor at their operation). A different item on the subject of seafood was a NY Times feature on how area fishermen are reduced to scraping out a poor living catching clams now that lobsters and other more lucrative fish have become too scarce due to overfishing (with nasty consequences for ocean life as well as fishermen).

A different sort of bad animal food news focused on meat contamination: the Agriculture Department announced new rules designed to prevent listeria contamination of ready-to-eat meats, though consumer advocates pointed out that the new rules still do not mandate listeria testing if the bacterium is found in a plant. Later last month, charges were brought against an Illinois distributor of meat, fish, and other foods for holding them in what prosecutors say was a rat-infested warehouse; the company claims that the damage to the food came from forklifts, not rats. It is in this context that local school districts will be given the option of serving irradiated ground beef starting in 2004. Irradiation’s safety is still controversial.

On the other hand, McDonald’s announced this month that it is asking its suppliers of beef to reduce their use of antibiotics for healthy cattle, acknowledging that antibiotic resistance of bacteria due to agricultural practices is becoming a serious public health concern.

Water, though neither meat food (bad) nor plant food (good), is certainly a vital nutrient for vegetarians as well as everyone else. It was several years ago that I read the first hints by environmental policy activist groups that clean water was likely to become a global issue – and in the past month I have seen several items on this very subject. For example, in Oregon’s Klamath Basin, farmers were again asked to cut back on water use so that streams for endangered fish won’t run dry. Colorado’s governor signed a series of bills designed to keep more Colorado River water in that state. A front-page NY Times article examined the consequences for poor South Africans who cannot afford to buy clean water, and on a different day it ran an editorial on the crisis of overfishing and the need for new management policies before the ocean ecosystem really crashes. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, as usual, there is much good news about plant foods. A Prevention article mentioned that antioxidents in green teas and in red, orange, yellow, and dark green fruits and vegetables may, along with sunscreen, help prevent skin cancer. Another item praised high fiber foods for their ability to help control weight while adding to tastiness – and high-fiber foods are of course the all-vegan fruits (fresh and dried), vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. The "high-fiber all-stars" on the article’s list were: apples, pears, plums, beans (dried and fresh), peas, and legumes generally, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, broccoli, cherries, corn, dried fruits (especially apricots, dates, and figs), dark leafy greens, nuts (especially almonds, Brazil nuts, and walnuts), and whole grains including whole wheat pasta.

Delicious Living magazine had an item on recent research that confirmed a scientific basis for the traditional use of the spice fenugreek as a treatment for carbohydrate-metabolism problems such as diabetes. Another item pointed out that cherries, which are just coming into season, are an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and bioflavonoids. A third article con-firmed the advice we’ve been hearing lately, that one to two alcoholic drinks a day seems to help the heart. And yet another article pointed out the nutritional goodies of all peppers, red or green, hot or sweet: they’re low-calorie, high-fiber, and full of vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene, bioflavonoids, and folic acid (red ones have more of the antioxidents than green ones). And the capsaicin in hot peppers can help lower cholesterol, boost metabolism, and even prevent ulcers.

The latest Outpost Exchange threw in its contribution to the soy controversy, with an article that offered the latest research on soy’s effectiveness and safety as a health-enhancing food. One positive item recently confirmed is that eating plenty of soy may drop bad LDL cholesterol a bit; the effect is greatly enhanced if the soy is combined with eating other heart-healthy foods like almonds, and foods high in soluble fiber (oats, barley, legumes), while lowering consumption of saturated fats (animal foods).

Another health value of soy foods is as a substitute for animal protein, since reducing animal protein definitely helps your kidneys. Studies have been very unclear about whether eating soy helps control menopause symptoms – but there is no doubt that eating soy, again especially when it substitutes for animal protein, helps retain bone mass and prevent osteoporosis. There is still question and controversy regarding whether women already diagnosed with breast cancer might be flirting with a recurrence by eating soy – though soy-eating Asians have a lower incidence of that disease that people on Western diets. And while there seems to be a definite benefit throughout life for those who eat soy as children, it seems reasonable as well as safest to limit children’s consumption to one or two servings per day.

Another arguable area about which I saw an article recently is the raw foods diet. A Delicious Living article defined a raw foodist as someone getting at least 75% of the diet from uncooked, organic plant foods, and examined the theory that doing this is beneficial. The writer ended up questioning the theory behind the practice, and quoted holistic health professionals as expressing reservations about going 100% raw – or relying on soy, which is often highly processed, for all one’s protein. But she did support the healthfulness of eating a diet extremely high in raw foods, so long as it is well balanced to include plenty of dark green leafies, sources of vitamin B-12, protein foods including sprouts, nuts, and sprouted whole grains and legumes, and avoids overdoing fruit and fruit juice (so as to avoid overdoing sugar).

It’s Farmers’ Market season, and there seem to be more of them every year. Farmers’ markets are fun, help keep traditional family farms in business, and supply fresher produce while being good ecological practice in avoiding shipping the vegetables thousands of miles. This year’s crop of them is:

Sat., 9 am-4pm