Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Monday, April 26, 2010
Traditional Americans Have Forsaken Tradition - to their Detriment
April 25, 2010
Saving American Indians' Diet
Eli Reichman for The Chronicle Review
Devon A. Mihesuah at home in her kitchen, Baldwin City, Kan., April 2, 2010
Enlarge ImageIf Devon A. Mihesuah had her way, American Indians would abandon their love of fry bread, quit drinking so much, and embrace a healthy, active lifestyle like that of their ancestors. As a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a professor of global-indigenous-nations studies at the University of Kansas at Lawrence, she has made it her goal to educate her fellow tribe members about the importance of nutrition and fitness.
Mihesuah has long sought to empower American Indians
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Would In Vitro Meat Solve All Animal Cruelty and Environmental Ruin From Intensive Feedlots?
COMMENTS: 83Lab-Grown Meat: The Answer to Animal Cruelty and Environmental Ruin From Feedlots?
November 13, 2009 |
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A philosophy paper recently published inNeuroethics presents the current state of biotech research on the use of genetic engineering to eliminate pain in animals.
Author Adam Shriver, a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, argues that it's our moral obligation to use such technology to reduce the suffering of animals on factory farms.
"If we can't do away with factory farming, we should at least take steps to minimize the amount of suffering that is caused," he told New Scientist recently.
Shriver, a vegetarian, says his personal preference would be that nobody eat meat and that factory farms had no reason to exist. But given the demand for meat, he assumes factory farms are here to stay and sees pain-free meat (meat from animals genetically engineered to not feel pain) as a compromise that would at least reduce the amount of suffering in the world.
Shriver isn't the only one in the ivory tower thinking about pain-free meat. The problem with their argument, and the reason it's unlikely to advance beyond an intellectual exercise, is that factory-farmed meat is problematic in so many ways aside form suffering, and knocking out certain "pain genes" would further encourage and enable a horrible practice.
When I was 5 years old, I wrote a letter to President Carter, asking him to stop people from killing animals for meat. I probably wouldn't have felt so strongly if my parents had said, "don't worry honey, the animals don't feel pain."
By numbing animals, we'd be numbing ourselves to the ills of factory farming, which we should be anything but numb to. Nearly one-fifth of global carbon emissions come from factory farms -- more than the combined emissions of the world's transport activities, including cars, planes, trucks, trains and boats.
Factory farms use and pollute incredible amounts of water, degrading hundreds of rivers and killing millions of fish, and help create a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico the size of Massachusetts.
Slaughterhouse suffering isn't limited to the animals that die there. Uncomfortable and unhealthy working conditions, repetitive-stress injuries and the occasional major trauma are the norm for slaughterhouse workers -- who are often exploited, undocumented and poorly paid immigrants whose status helps keep them from unionizing for better conditions.
Those who eat factory-farm products can be victimized, too, by meat contaminated with bacteria and pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. Factory-meat victims also include the many people who go hungry because land that could have been used to grow food for people is used to grow food for animals. With the world's meat consumption expected to double in the next 40 years, such problems are likely to increase.
Few issues divide the human diet more than the eating of animal flesh. While some argue that meat-eating played an integral part in the evolution of our minds and bodies, others believe it's completely unnecessary -- and both sides may have a point.
While Shriver's plan falls short of addressing all the problems associated with factory farms, his assessment of the forces that create factory farms is realistic. It probably is a given that cheap meat will be consumed. The question remains: How will it be produced?
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has put its money on the prospect of death-free, animal-free meat. The animal-rights group has a standing offer of $1 million to the first person or company to come up with a safe, affordable and commercially marketable process to create meat without raising or killing animals.
Ari LeVaux writes a syndicated weekly food column,Flash in the Pan.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Google search/feed for 'vegan' for October 16, 2009
Images MyFox Los Angel...  Examiner.com  KOMO News  New York Times  Globe and Mail  Ecorazzi  Ecorazzi  Ecorazzi  SuperVegan (blo... All related images »
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A vegan and a carnivore find common ground around Studio CityLos Angeles Times - - 19 hours ago Ed Begley Jr.: Our favorite restaurant is probably the Vegan Plate right here in Studio City. I live at that place. Also the Outtake Cafe. Go Eat! Yes, vegan food can have flavorKOMO News - - 10 hours ago With barbecue season over, there's no better time to take a break from steak and try Seattle's newest vegan bistro - Plum. The Insider | Yacht's Claire EvansNew York Times - - 4 hours ago Restaurant: I'ma vegan tourist. In Portland, Blossoming Lotus for raw vegan cheesecake. In New York, Blossom for celebrity drag-king sighting and seitan, ... Alicia Silverstone Is On A Kind DietJust Jared (blog) - 14 hours ago The 33-year-old vegan actress was supported by her rocker husband Christopher Jarecki at the event. The book includes 75 natural vegan recipes and a ... Alicia Silverstone's Vegan Feast MyFox Los Angeles Eat Vegan Food to Help Local Endangered GibbonsLAist (blog) - - 8 hours ago For $35 or $40 (depending if you pre-pay and cheaper for the kids), people will enjoy a vegan breakfast on Sunday morning surrounded by Gibbons. Alicia Silverstone Brings The Vegan Message To The MTV NewsroomMTV.com - - Oct 13, 2009 Silverstone described a "flirt" as a beginning-level vegan, a person who still eats meat and diary but has started to gradually cut down. Alicia Silverstone releases The Kind Diet Examiner.com Is It 'Eco-Atkins' Or Echo Atkins? Vegans Attempting To Co-Opt Low-Carb For ...CarbWire.com - Oct 15, 2009 But that's exactly what has been done to the original Atkins low-carb approach by a very aggressive group pushing a vegan-styled diet they call “Eco-Atkins” ... Top Ten Cutest and Tastiest Dairy-Free (and Vegan) Halloween Treats for 2009Go Dairy Free - Oct 15, 2009 But when it comes to special diets (dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, etc, etc, etc), which seem to be scarily common these days, Halloween treats ... Vegan Georges Laraque makes a convertThe Gazette (Montreal) - Oct 15, 2009 If it weren't for this article, which explained that Laraque went vegan after watching the Earthlings documentary on the abuse of animals, my friend would ... Laraque shoots ad, scores controversy Globe and Mail Battling vegan eats crow TheChronicleHerald.ca V is for vegan, and very well-fedDouglas Daily Dispatch - Oct 15, 2009 And many may be vegan as well - think of a salad, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich or spaghetti with tomato sauce. Most of us are occasional vegetarians ... 2009 VegNews Veggie Awards: We Steal A Sneak Peek At 12 Winners!Ecorazzi - 12 hours ago Of course, the real world is just to slow for us - so we managed to pull some strings, send in some vegan-powered ninjas, and sneak away with a partial list ... Top Crist Supporters Openly Speculate Crist May Drop OutRedState (blog) - - 8 hours ago It's akin to Dracula saying that despite his fangs, he really is a vegan. So strong has Marco Rubio's support gotten in the GOP - Crist has yet to win a ... Orlando's Loch Haven park is a no meat zone at the Veg FestOsceola News-Gazette - - 11 hours ago All food served at Veg Fest will be vegan (containing no animal products), and there will be plenty of raw food options. The list of restaurants, ... Natalie Portman Back To Vegan After Reading “Eating Animals”Ecorazzi - Oct 15, 2009 Is she vegan? Get ready for some more “What's Natalie Portman eating?!” news! The LA Times recently interviewed the 28-year-old actress in a vegan ... Vegetarian Awareness Month Exclusive: “Bones” Star Emily DeschanelEcorazzi - 4 hours ago Ecorazzi: How long have you been vegetarian/vegan? E: What first inspired you to adopt this diet? E: In three words tell me why you're a vegetarian/vegan. peta's Sexiest Vegetarian Tells supervegan Where to Find the Fountain of YouthSuperVegan (blog) - - 3 hours ago She's been a vegetarian for the last 40 of her 70 years and a raw vegan for a year and a half. An active lady who travels often, most recently around the US ... The vegetable movementCalvin College - Chimes - 11 hours ago Many members of the Calvin community are vegetarian or vegan and most of them are more than happy to share their stories. Here are just a handful! Help! My Daughter's a VeganHuffington Post (blog) - Oct 14, 2009 Am I supposed to be happy about this? For the first time as a parent, I find myself almost getting into fights about food. I know it pushes my buttons, ... Free Tibet Vegan SneakersGreen Muze - Oct 14, 2009 Enter KOMODO Free Tibet Royal vegan sneakers. These trendy and green canvas running shoes feature the Tibetan flag emblem to show your support with every ... Veni, Vidi, Vegan: Going animal product-free in San DiegoSDNN: San Diego News Network - - Oct 13, 2009 Here are a couple of vegan pizzas I made last week. Pretty tasty. (Photo by Chris Nixon) First you smell it, and then you see it: The ... Very vegetarian Lihue Garden Island Veganism for TEENs Jamaica Observer More results for veg*an » |
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Monday, October 05, 2009
Vegan Food Professionals Can Promote Veganism for Fun and Profit
Veganizing Standard Menus; and Normalizing and Publicizing the IDEA of all-Vegan Restaurants More and more diners either want meatless meals themselves (whether or not THEY are actually FT vegetarians) when they dine out, or diners want those meals for others - vegetarians or vegans who dine out with them (business colleagues, friends, family members, coworkers, et al.). Restaurants can save money by using fewer animal ingredients because plant-based items spoil less quickly. Less spoilage means less waste or 'shrinkage' of food supplies (and that saves money). Attracting vegetarian diners and selling meatless items (with the same profit margin calculated for their other food) to current and drop-in diners is a socially conscious way to make money while doing the right thing. Vegan dietitians, nutrition educators, nutritionists, culinary gurus, and others who are vegans who have dared to commit their scientific and educational careers to empowering the food side of veganism often are often Under-employed stay-at-home moms, and thus they are short of cash, but these under-employed vegan SAHMs can earn money while doing effective outreach to modify prevailing food habits at the 'supply chain' level. You will need or should have: * good working relationship with local vegetarian group(s) * basic business clothing * comfortable clothing for working with 'back of the house' (restaurant kitchen) * computer with Internet connection * stable Internet connection * commitment to veganism and its broad public desirability * good understanding of vegan food and vegan nutrition * broad vegan menu design skill and experience * web design skill or a partner wish with someone with wed design experience * good business sense * good selling and other persuasion skills * flexible daytime work hours without a need to haul a child around at the same time * restaurant or food service experience Veganizing Standard Restaurant Menus Under-employed dietitians, nutrition educators, nutritionists, culinary gurus, and others who are vegans who have dared to commit their scientific and educational careers to empowering the food side of veganism often are short of cash. Such vegan food professional go out to restaurants that are not vegetarian - and offer to VEGAN-ize the menus as follows (a modest fee – oh, perhaps $150 per restaurant - is charged): The vegan food professional understands food and looks at the pre-existing menu, comprehends the SORTS of things that could QUICKLY be 'veganized' by substituting one, two, or three vegan items for animal products, then types out that recipe. Ingredients chosen should be inexpensive, health-supporting, common (easy to find), versatile, and not distasteful. This process is repeated for each of the menu items which could be 'veganized', and the collection of all 'veganized' menu options is listed in a reasonable order, then the list is word-processed into a simple format (usually with the restaurant's contact information, logo, hours, and more. The electronic template is e-mailed to the management, and the vegan food professional keeps a copy and retains (unlimited non-exclusive) IP or intellectual property rights to the ideas, the menu, the menu (food) items, etc,. (so that s/he can use these identical ideas again (and the restaurant) is free to customize the items in their way. The vegan food professional’s (e-mail?) contact info is visible in small print on the menu. Then, when vegetarian or vegan diners (or diners with a vegan friend) arrive and ask about vegetarian options, the serving person brings out the 'very special menu' (the vegan menu), and the vegan diner is made to feel 'very special' with an all-vegan menu in a nonvegetarian restaurant. The vegan food professional also offers to coach the kitchen staff ('back of the house') on vegan food substitutions and to coach the serving personnel and host(s)/ess(es) and managers on how to attract, support, please, and retain veg(etari)an diners. The restaurant management is taught how more vegan items can be more profitable (less spoilage, thus less shrinkage or food loss). A possible synergy could be a two-fold advertising program. A website is maintained for the local vegetarian group(s), which feature these ‘veganized’ menu clients prominently but appropriately on the local vegetarian society’s website. The link opens NOT to the restaurant’s website, but to a CUSTOMIZED all-vegan-appropriate PAGE with (a) the restaurant’s all-vegan menu AND the restaurant’s appropriate contact information and hours, and a pop-up MAP (perhaps with travel directions from a typed in location). Also, the restaurant could offer a 10% discount on vegetarian (vegan) items ONLY to veg society members (when their show their vegetarian society or vegan association cards). © Maynard S. Clark - http:// Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com - Maynard.Clark@GMail.com Second Idea: no additional charge. Exciting Vegan Advocates about Vegan Restaurants Normalizing and Publicizing the IDEA of all-Vegan Restaurants (1) Humorous vegan restaurant business plans are written out and posted widely around the Internet, including 'themed' vegan items: e.g. The Boston Bean (either a vegan legume-based restaurant in Greater Boston, or else a global chain, as in SBC - Seattle's Best Coffee - need not be in Seattle), etc. Vegan laugh at the concept. SOME concepts 'catch on' and some ideas 'germinate' in the vegetarian and vegan online communities, and ideas happen, and more clever vegetarian and vegan restaurants emerge as clever veg(etari)ans who can get funding start opening such clever veg(etari)an restaurants. (2) Writers include vegan restaurants in their short stories, novels and novellas, radio and TV scripts, jokes and anecdotes, etc. Vegan dining is culturally 'normalized' (3) Songs – fun, humorous singable songs – are composed that have lyrics about ‘going to the vegan diner’ or dining out in a veggie eatery, etc. (4) Local vegetarian societies are encouraged to develop dining guides that include (i) all-vegan, (ii) all-vegetarian), and (iii) vegan-friendly eateries. The local vegetarian (or vegan) dining guide is put online. What’s missing with MOST online vegetarian dining guides is a list of WHAT vegan diners can BUY (and eat) in these vegan-friendly eateries. © Maynard S. Clark http:// Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com Maynard.Clark@GMail.com © Maynard S. Clark - http:// Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com - Maynard.Clark@GMail.com © Maynard S. Clark MaynardClark@Yahoo.com "Making connections for plant-based diets" Vegetarian Resource Center (since 1993) P. O. Box 38-1068; Cambridge, MA 02238-1068 USA 617-571-4794 (cell) Maynard.Clark@GMail.com http://maynardclark.spaces.live.com - |
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