February 2007

GREETINGS

Yipe! We’re only about eight weeks away from the Great American Meat-Out! We need to do some thinking and planning about what we’re going to do for it this year.

The Meat-Out is a national event, supported by a dedicated organization (FARM, which stands for Farm Animal Reform Movement); because of this it is both a great opportunity to publicize the possibilities of vegetarianism, and a great opportunity for MARV to piggy-back on the event and publicize ourselves. So our mission (should we decide to accept it) is to figure out what we can do that will make us noticeable as well as spread the word to people who might be able to use a nudge in the plant-based diet direction.

In the past few years, we’ve done tablings at college campuses and health-food stores, on the theory that these are good places to find people who eat a variety of diets yet some of whom also might be ready to learn more about vegetarianism. It seems to me that this is probably still a good theory. We’ve worked at UWM with Alliance for Animals there, and at Alverno College (where we have a good contact); shall we aim at these venues again? Does anyone know any others? Should we try for something else as well? We used to table at Outpost until they didn’t want us any more; should we approach the new Whole Foods store?

M.A.R.V. ACTIVITIES
 

Sunday, Feb. 4, 5 PM, regular potluck at the Friends’ Meeting House, 3224 N. Gordon Pl. in Riverwest (from Humboldt Blvd., go east on Auer a few short blocks to the parking lot). Theme is a wheat grass demo with Dr. David Schemberger.

Other veg-friendly potlucks

There will be a macrobiotic potluck on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 5 PM at Pat O’Neill’s house, 2431 N. Bartlett, phone (414) 964-9759.

The Urban Ecology Center’s vegetarian potluck will be on Thursday, Feb. 15, 6:30-8 PM, at 1500 E. Park Pl; bring plate and fork as well as your meatless dish. Phone (414) 964-8505.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“It seems disingenuous for the intellectual elite of the first world to dwell on the subject of too many babies being born in the second- and third-world nations while virtually ignoring the over-population of cattle and the realities of a food chain that robs the poor of sustenance to feed the rich a steady diet of grain-fed meat.”

NEWS

Meat-eating continues to be bad for people, in various ways. In one example, a recent article found that pregnant women with higher levels of methylmercury in their bodies from eating mercury-containing fish were decidedly more likely to give birth prematurely. New data from the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that frequently eating red meat correlated with increased breast cancer risk. And Prevention responded to a reader’s question about whether the skin on fish is just fattening or actually unhealthy to eat by answering, “Both.”

Environmentally, manure from animal “factory farms” continues to be a concern. A Wisconsin farm was fined for manure discharges into a creek; and it’s a sign of the times that a proposed Iowa operation is seeking a discharge permit normally granted to water-polluting industrial factories.

International beef importing continues to raise political as well as food-safety issues, mostly regarding mad cow disease. South Korea’s ban on U.S. beef (due to objectionable bone fragments in shipments) is threatening a free trade agreement between the two nations, and the U.S. is still trying (unsuccessfully) to get Japan to relax its rules limiting U.S. beef imports to young cattle only. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has agreed to lift import restrictions on Canadian cattle and beef, despite ongoing occasional discoveries of mad cow disease in Canada, to predictable cheers from Canadian cattlemen and boos from U.S. ones.

Then there was the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement that meat and other products from cloned animals are virtually the same as from normally-bred animals, and will therefore be allowed into the food supply. The FDA said the same thing about rBGH, which has since given evidence of making a difference indeed, so this is not reassuring – especially since there will probably be no labeling of cloned-animal products if and when they do appear in stores. With rBGH milk the only way to be sure of avoiding it was to buy only organic, or not use it at all; it looks like the same may become true of animal cloning.

Bird flu is also still with us, and since people continue to raise birds for food it remains a threat to humans as well. An outbreak among the chickens on a farm in Japan was found to be the virulent strain, and Vietnam is fighting a resurgence of the disease, while geese on a Hungarian farm were suspected of being ill with it. Indonesia saw more suspected human cases, and one confirmed case, and scientists found that the bird flu may be similar to the flu that caused the great 1918-19 flu pandemic.

The recent e. coli outbreaks have generated efforts by government and the food industry to increase regulations aimed at detecting contamination of produce – but not directly aimed at keeping the cow feces off the fields.

Water continues to make the news. In one report, Los Angeles finally agreed (after about a century) to back off its environmentally devastating use of water from the Owens River, while in Wisconsin there is controversy over new DNR regulations on groundwater use. In any case, Prevention reminds us to keep hydrated in the winter: even though we’re not sweaing in summer heat, we’re living in very dry heat indoors and so still need to drink liquids.

Other food news involves the weather, with unseasonable cold in California damaging the citrus crop there, while Pennsylvania apple-growers are worrying that their trees won’t get enough cold to flower and fruit properly next summer. The NY Times reported on findings that studies of soft drinks, milk, and juices that were financed by the food industry were suspiciously more favorable to the products than independent studies (are we surprised?). Perhaps relatedly, there has been a good bit of reporting lately on milk and dairy as useful in weight loss diets, but Delicious Living reports that the 3 studies used were all too small to be reliable, and in any case, if there is a benefit at all, it’s in the calcium, which you can get from other sources than dairy. Meanwhile, Kraft Foods is being sued for selling a “guacamole” dip with no significant amount of actual avocado in it.

There were a couple of odd positive notes this month: the NY Times Dining section featured an article on a vegan punk chef and her tasty creations; the Walt Disney Company will introduce vegetarian meals at its parks, resorts, and restaurants; while 46 U.S. hospitals have pledged to offer organic and locally grown, nutritious foods to their patients.

As always, plant foods are good for people. Good Medicine, the PCRM publication, reported on a study which showed that eating fruits and vegetables improves male fertility, and on a different study which found that eating vegetables helps keep the mind sharp as people age (spinach, kale, and collards were among the most beneficial). Drinking black tea regularly helped the subjects of one study stay calm under stressful conditions. And broccoli sprouts are reported to contain a substance that can help fetus’ hearts develop properly if their mothers eat the sprouts during pregnancy.

Dark green leafy vegetables generally seem to help fight breast cancer, as do red, orange, and yellow vegetables and fruits, and reducing dietary fat. Other advantages of plant-produced antioxidents were listed in a Prevention article: guava is full of vitamin C, passion fruit is full of cancer-fighting lycopene and polyphenols, acai berry may help reduce bad LDL cholesterol, and mangosteen, a southeast Asian fruit, is a good source of xanthones which are being studied as inflammation reducers.

Prevention answered a reader’s question about what produce to eat in winter by recommending vitamin C-rich citrus fruits and kiwis, now in season, as well as winter squash (vitamin C and A) and hardy greens such as kale and Swiss chard (A, C, and K). Other seasonal vegetables, discussed in the Outpost Exchange, were roots, such as mineral-rich rutabagas, tangy turnips, and sweet parsnips.

DIALOG

Much is being heard these days about dietary fiber and its many health benefits, from helping prevent type two diabetes to helping protect against colon cancer. And vegetarians can take note that high fiber foods are all plant foods. They are also all carbohydrate sources – and the newest buzz is therefore about good versus bad carbs, and about getting fiber in your diet. This month, not only did Prevention have an item suggesting high fiber cereals for breakfast, but Delicious Living and Outpost Exchange both ran articles discussing fiber.

There are two kinds of dietary fiber, each with its own benefit. Insoluble fiber goes undigested, therefore adding bulk to stools and helping prevent constipation, assist weight loss, and possibly help prevent colon cancer. Good sources are whole-grain bread, wheat bran, rye, and other whole grain products, as well as cabbage, beets, carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower, and apple skin.

Soluble fiber, on the other hand, dissolves in water to become gummy; in the digestive system it binds to dietary cholesterol and keeps it out of the bloodstream, as well as easing irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and decreasing both diarrhea and constipation. Food sources include oats, oat bran, beans, peas, rice bran, citrus fruits, strawberries, and apple pulp.

THE VEGGIE TABLE

Casablanca is a vegetarian-friendly restaurant that has been around the Milwaukee area for years – and I do mean around the area, for it has moved several times. It is now located on E. Brady St., where Chuck and I have recently found it again, and again found it excellent.

One wonderful feature of this restaurant is its vegetarian lunch buffet, which is available from 11 AM to 3 PM, Monday through Saturday. The price is ridiculously reasonable, the selection quite extensive, and the various items each distinct in taste and very tasty indeed. Even Chuck, who avoids the eggplant dishes and the wonderful but deep-fried filafel, found plenty of choices to fill him up.

We went back again for dinner a couple of times, and ordered from the menu, which has several vegetarian appetizers and three different vegetarian entrees (plus a fish dish listed there – oh, well). The stuffed grape leaves come with yogurt on the side, but tahini was easily substituted on request. The request raised the issue of our being vegetarian, however, which was lucky, since Chuck had ordered the stuffed grape leaves appetizer, which would have come stuffed with meat if our vegetarianism had not been revealed. The waitress was alert, and clarified the matter – but if you go there and order stuffed grape leaves, be sure to specify vegetarian ones (they were delicious!). Prices for dinner were quite moderate.