“If you eat meat, consider curbing your consumption – and looking for certified organic meat and organic, grassfed beef to help mitigate some of the planetary problems associated with meat. Also, consider trying a vegetarian diet: You’ll have the satisfaction of healthier meals, lowering your personal global warming footprint, and having you diet reflect your social, animal welfare, and environmental values.”

NEWS

Global warming continues to be prominent in the news, and although the impact of eating meat is not yet generally dominant, it is being discussed increasingly within environmental groups. So a Co-op America publication, quoted above, ran a whole article citing the multiple environmental arguments for eating less animal products, organically/ humanely raised ones – and just not eating them. Interestingly, the article cited a new study which found that eating fish stands with red meat as causing the highest amount of greenhouse-gas emissions (deep-sea fishing boats use a lot of fuel).

There was a typical handful of reports on various problems involved in eating animals and raising animals for food. A Prevention magazine article on keeping the heart healthy reminded readers to reduce consumption of dietary cholesterol (= animal foods). There was a report in late September of a possible e. coli outbreak related to tainted hamburger; as we go to press I’ve heard unconfirmed rumors of a huge recall as a result. Wisconsin State Farmer reported on a legal dispute regarding whether a hog farm permit should have been issued; two neighbors had sued over the impact of its odor. And a new study found that the prions that cause chronic wasting disease (the deer form of mad cow disease) easily bind to certain soil minerals which make them far more infectious, and help explain CWD’s rapid spread; a related report discussed the prediction of some Wisconsin food pantries that they may have a shortage of meat to give away due to a possible CWD-related shortage of donated venison. Finally, recent recalls of spinach and Dole lettuce mix, due to salmonella and e. coli, respectively, are really due to contamination of fields and water from raising chickens (salmonella) and cattle (e. coli).

If you’ve been following the brouhaha over whether or not some organic dairies really are, the FDA finally actually moved against Aurora. The Organic Consumers Association is pushing for additional legal action; Aurora sent OCA and associated groups a letter threatening to sue them.

In issues regarding water and its denizens, here’s another reason to avoid fish: Canadian officials uncovered and prosecuted cases of two companies importing endangered shellfish species and selling them labelled as species that are not endangered. On a different note, health officials are becoming increasingly aware that arsenic contamination of global drinking water is much more widespread than previously understood (at the moment, the worst of the problem is in Bangladesh, but stay tuned).

Sometimes the news reports food issue items that you couldn’t make up, like the report of a doctor who found that a patient’s lung ailment had been caused by a chemical, diacetyl, that makes microwave popcorn taste buttery; until now, only popcorn-plant workers became ill in this way, but this patient loved the stuff enough to have overexposed himself by eating (and inhaling the aroma of) at least two bags a day.

There continue to be concerns about honey-bee hive die-outs. Most recent theories include: a virus as possible cause; or the combination of multiple stresses. The good news continues to be that beekeepers who maintain hives organically (no chemical sprays for controlling mites), and who maintain their colonies from year to year (limiting their harvest of honey to what the hive can sustain without starving the bees), are seeing much better survival.

We told you about a USDA plan to require almonds to be treated in ways that would either fumigate them with a probable carcinogen or heat them, yet still label them raw and organic. The current situation is that this rule will not be enforced until next March; several groups are working to overturn it before then.

Meanwhile, there is as always much news about plant foods being good for you.

Wisconsin State Farmer had an article on a study which found that blueberry extracts could prevent development of Alzheimer’s disease in rats. Prevention similarly reported on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables to improve brain function, especially mentioning grapefruit, blueberries, and cherries.

Healthwise reported on scientific studies which confirm the benefits of green tea as a dietary staple: one study found that it protected against esophageal cancer; another showed it to be effective in lowering cholesterol levels and improving the ratio of good to bad cholesterol; a third found that it helps prevent tooth decay.

Delicious Living ran an article on the need for good fats, which are of course the plant fats that contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids: besides making food taste good, these fats help cell membranes and oxygen flow, increase stamina, speed healing, reduce inflammation, and help mental performance. Find them in flax seed oil, freshly ground flax seeds, hemp seed oil, walnuts, and of course your dark green leafy vegetables. Prevention, on the other hand, touted peanut butter as not only fatty but also high-fiber and high-protein, with vitamins E and B6, potassium and magnesium, and healthy monounsaturated fat, so that a bit of it actually helps a diet.

A Delicious Living article on enhancing fertility suggested reducing refined grains, unhealthy fats, and processed foods, and eating the foods that help increase fertility: beans, avocados and other good-fat sources such as olive and canola oils, nuts, and nut butters, and also sources of vitamin C and beta-carotene (i.e. fruits and vegetables, especially dark green leafies and orange-fleshed produce).

Prevention’s advice for maintaining heart health included eating whole grains rather than refined ones, and avoiding saturated fats (animal foods) while getting omega-3s, olive oil, nuts, fruits, red wine, and tomatoes. Eating apples and getting your omega-3s were part of their advice for keeping the brain sharp. And other healthy-aging advice included eating different colored produce: orange-fleshed fruits and veggies to reduce cancer risk, green leafies to keep the vision sharp, blueberries and blackberries to fight cancer, red tomatoes and watermelon for the lycopene which may protect against cancer and heart disease, and white cauliflower, onions, and garlic to help protect against cancer.

Delicious Living reported on the need for fiber to help keep the lymphatic system healthy, and named beans, such as pintos, lentils, and other legumes, as an important source thereof. Prevention, meanwhile, reported on a study which found that women who substituted soy nuts for half of their daily protein lowered both their blood pressure and their bad LDL cholesterol significantly.

CONNECTIONS

For those of us whose incentive for vegetarianism includes animal welfare, there will be a Walk for Farm Animals to benefit Farm Sanctuary, right here in Milwaukee, on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 13. Meet at 10 AM at Bradford Beach at North Point (2400 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr.); walking will start at 10:30 and will be short (to Alterra and back). There is a $10 registration fee. To sign up or get further info, contact the coordinators, Wanda Embar and Trisha. You can phone them at 414-520-9395, or email milwaukee@walkforfarmanimals.org, or go to the website www.walkforfarmanimals.org.

Vegetarian Resource Group holds an annual contest for two prizes of $5000 each in college scholarship money, to be awarded to graduating high school students who have promoted vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Students are judged on their promotion of vegetarian and vegan diets in a positive way. They must be American high school seniors at time of application and planning to attend an American college. Deadline is Feb. 20, 2008. For application information, go to www.vrg.org or write to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

DIALOG

I found out too late that September was Organic Food Month – but even though it’s now October, the subject is still worth talking about.

Organic agriculture issues are sort of tangential to vegetarianism. Yet all vegetarians eat produce, and lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat eggs and dairy as well, and organic issues are closely connected to environmentalism, which is one of the big reasons to avoid meat (and getting bigger by the day). So the subject is worthy of our attention.

For all these reasons, it is good news that organics continue to grow by leaps and bounds, since this means that there are that many more choices and opportunities for each of us to shop this way. So celebrate Organic Food Month for all twelve months of the year!