September 2007

GREETINGS

We have not heard from anyone about any good ideas for World Vegetarian Day, even though October 1 is much closer than you think.

In fact, even Nov. 18 is closer than it seems, and we are already working on the PreThanksgiving Feast. The flyer is under construction, and we are continuing to investigate compostable plates and cutlery. The latest bright idea is to raise the “suggested donation” just a bit to cover the increased cost of the compostables – and then give an equivalent rebate at the door to those who show up with their own plates and silverware. As always, feedback and input regarding what’s going on is welcome and, indeed, necessary for our group to function well. Email me at chuckgyver@ispwest.com, or phone us (Louise and Chuck, 414-962-2703 or David and Jody, 414-764-7262).

Does it seem to anyone else that this year is agriculturally wretched? Neither my own garden nor our CSA farm is producing the expectable amount of vegetables (besides cucumbers and zucchinis, sigh). I think it has everything to do with this year’s very unstable weather – and is thus another example of global climate disturbances and their practical effects. Perhaps this constitutes a reminder that our concerns with the issues surrounding vegetarianism (which after all is about choosing to eat agricultural produce) are directly connected to the wider political and global issues that are part of the world we live in. See Dialog section below.

M.A.R.V. ACTIVITIES

Sunday, Sept. 2, 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 will be raw foods.

Subsequent regular potlucks will be on October 7, November 4, and December 2.

Other veg-friendly potlucks

There will probably be a macrobiotic potluck at Wendy Andrent’s house, S53W34664 Marine Hills Dr. in ?Dousman?? on Sunday,Sept. 9 with people arriving midafternoon to eat at 5PM. Call Wendy at 414-965-2395 to confirm.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“…ask yourself, are you among the silent people who are well aware of the environmental truths of animal agriculture and yet fail – repeatedly – to speak up?

We as vegetarians are often in a tricky position, socially, when it comes to discussing our diet. We want to be polite… We don’t want to make people uncomfortable…

And yet, we have to balance our social responsibilities with our global ones.

If we don’t speak up, who will? And if we don’t do it now, when will we?

NEWS

Only a couple of items showed up in this month’s news about the unhealthiness of animal foods, though various other issues did surface.

One new study found that colon cancer survivors had a higher risk of recurrence if their diets are high in meat and also refined grains, as compared with survivors who eat fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fish. Another study found that eating goose liver (as in foie gras) may cause a dangerous condition called amyloidosis in susceptible people.

And the USDA issued final rules for using meat from animals that arrive at slaughterhouses unable to stand: it merely requires that they be reinspected (presumably to rule out mad cow disease) but they can be slaughtered for food after passing reinspection. Eeuw!

Prevention ran an item warning about a new way to process oils, now that transfats are being avoided: interesterified oil can raise blood sugar and lower good HDL cholesterol. You’re (not surprisingly) better off eating foods made with unmodified oils.

A thoughtful op-ed article in the NY Times discussed weighing the carbon footprint of shipping low-input food thousands of miles versus buying high-input industrial-agriculture food from near one’s home. Although I’m not sure I agree with the writer’s conclusion, it does suggest that how food is raised is as much a factor as where it comes from.

And people who eat produce might note that crackdowns on illegal aliens thereby target fruit and vegetable pickers, so there may be problems with getting the harvest in this year…

Various issues regarding organic agriculture came up this month. One study suggested that for those who do eat animal foods, choosing organic can improve the quality of women’s breastmilk. At the same time, vigilance is needed to ensure that organic-labeled food really is: the USDA may actually revoke the organic certification from Aurora Dairy after the Cornucopia Institute documented numerous violations of organic rules. A National Academy of Sciences study revealed that pesticides actually reduce crop yields by destroying helpful soil bacteria, while a University of Michigan study showed that organic agriculture is more productive than chemical and energy intensive industrial agriculture. And another new study found organic tomatoes to have twice the good flavonoids as chemically grown ones.

Water issues are ongoing news, with attention still being paid to the question of drinking bottled water or tap water (or filtered tap water). In fact, it’s pretty clear that tap water is both vastly cheaper and better environmentally than buying water in bottles, and often just as clean; the problem is changing everyone’s habits…

On the other hand, there is still plenty of news about plant foods being good for you.

Vegetarian Voice ran a whole article on the epidemic of type two diabetes in the Marshall Islands, where canned foods and simple carbohydrates have replaced the traditional native-produce-and-seafood diet for many; the great news was that with a well-chosen vegan diet, education, and exercise, many project participants recovered to normal blood sugar levels, and those on insulin were able to get off it.

A new local magazine called Well had an article on the goodness of bright-colored vegetables, with a focus on green leafies: they provide iron, calcium, potassium (helps blood pressure and heart function), and magnesium (nerve and muscle tone) as well as vitamins K, C, E, A, and many Bs, plus the flavonoids beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

A Prevention item reported a study confirming the old folk remedy of drinking dandelion-root tea to encourage the bacteria that make the gut healthy.

Delicious Living offered tips for foods that help a variety of conditions. For keeping the brain sharp, for example, suggestions include: choosing whole, unprocessed high-fiber foods like whole grains and also whole fruits and vegetables rather than juices; eating omega-3 fatty acid sources (which include dark green leafy vegetables); drinking green tea; and eating brightly-colored berries for the antioxidents. To help maintain strong bones, vitamin D is important; in Wisconsin, this means a supplement or D-fortified foods from late September through winter into early spring as well as getting some sunlight during the warm months – but nuts should also be eaten, since they provide calcium, magnesium, and potassium which also help protect bones. And for keeping one’s mood even, DL recommends protein foods (beans, peas, whole grains, and nuts, as well as eggs and dairy if you use them) and B-vitamin foods, which include whole grains, avocados, bananas and sunflower seeds.

The Outpost Exchange also ran an article discussing keeping the brain sharp. Their recommendations include getting enough water and eating avocados, bananas, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and brightly colored fruits and vegetables, while avoiding corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, white bread, hydrogenated fats, sodas, chips, candy, and junk food in general.

Prevention ran an article on heart health, noting that sterols and stanols are plant compounds proven to protect the heart – and they naturally occur in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oils. The amounts present in foods are small, though, so to get a protective effect you’d need either fortified oils that are coming on the market – or a vegetarian diet very heavy in these foods! The items mentioned as having the most stanols and sterols were: corn oil, sunflower oil, beans, corn, peanut butter, olive oil, almonds, oranges, apples, and avocados.

CONNECTIONS

Well magazine noted that the Wisconsin Restaurant Association has developed a “Healthy Lifestyles Initiative” on its website, which lists restaurant offerings including vegetarian options. The address is www.wirestaurant.org.

Another website of interest is a new one from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, those purveyors of vegan diets (among other things). The site aims to help both consumers and health care professionals to connect nutrition with health, in the sense of both preventing and treating medical conditions. Go to NutritionMD.org.

DIALOG

In a number of ways, the environmental and social impacts of food choices and food policies are now surfacing as ongoing news items.

I mentioned some of the problems of ethanol last issue: it grows industrial corn in very chemical-intensive and therefore environmentally destructive ways; it takes so much fossil-fuel energy to turn corn into car fuel that there is essentially zero savings of energy; and it raises the price of corn worldwide. In fact, this past month I’ve started reading news stories detailing how world hunger is increasing due to the high price of corn. One article did report that high corn prices are making the best cuts of beef too expensive for restaurants to offer – but is that the best way to accomplish this result? Wisconsin State Farmer reported on the testimony of the director of Iowa State University’s Iowa Water Center, to the effect that growing corn for fuel, if done using established methods, could turn farmland into desert.

Then there was the report in the NY Times about CARE turning down federal funds for food aid because the food ends up being sold at prices that actually depress local agriculture, and thus increase food insecurity in the affected areas – another example of the simple fix actually making the food problem worse.

And then there is the elephant in the living room: the environmental impact of livestock raising that no one seems willing to talk about. Yet it is major. First, there is the highly polluting industrial agriculture that grows the feed. Then there is the energy needed to transport it.

And the environmental degradation of air and water from intensive confinement livestock operations. And the greenhouse gas emissions of all those animals. It has been noted that eating meat is worse for the environment than driving a car. And that doesn’t even count the spread of bird flu, which was present in wild birds and never a problem until flocks of thousands were confined together.

Most people become vegetarian for reasons of health and/or animal welfare. But as we all become aware that the ecology of our planet is in deep danger, and that what people choose to eat can make a major difference in whether we can keep our world habitable or not, it’s time to focus on the environmental and social impacts of our food choices as well as the effects on health and the animals. Vegetarian Voice’s cover story this month was “Cows, Cars, and Global Warming,” and both the article and the issue’s editorial suggested that we need to get involved now. The article analyzed how reporters’ unwillingness to research and report on the need for vegetarianism is in perfect sync with the public’s unwillingness to hear such a story. But this needs to change.