August 2008
News For Life
This newsletter, in its 6th year, is designed to keep you aware of the many effects our food choices have on personal health, a sustainable planet and respecting other species. I hope you enjoy it and share it with others!
General News Index:
VIDEO: A LIFE CONNECTED
VEGANISM GROWS UP
VIDEO: VEGETARIAN SUMMERFEST
INTERVIEW!
FOOD CRISIS SOLUTION: GO
VEGAN
VEGAN FARMING TAKES ORGANIC
TO NEXT LEVEL
CONSCIOUS EATING, OKAY, BUT
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?
101 REASONS NOT TO FEED DAIRY
PRODUCTS TO YOUR CHILDREN
OBESITY LEVELS IN
BOGUS STUDY: WEIGHT LOSS WITH
A LOW-CARBOHYDRATE,
LEAN, MEAN MEAT-FREE MACHINE
MERCURY: FROM POWER PLANTS TO
YOUR PLATE
BEER AND THE VEGAN DIET
IN HONOR OF GEORGE CARLIN:
EATING LESS MEAT
Health News Index:
UA STUDY FINDS BENEFITS OF
FRUITS
20 CANCER-FIGHTING FOODS TO
EAT ALL SUMMER
DARK CHOCOLATE, THE NEW
HEALTH FOOD
FINDING OUT HOW FLAVONOIDS
PROTECT THE HEART
ORNISH DIET ALTERS GENES IN
PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS
TEA MAY IMPROVE ATTENTION AND
FOCUS, KEEP BRAIN CELLS HEALTHY, & INFLUENCE GENETICS IN CANCER
PLANT FOODS FOR PRESERVING
MUSCLE MASS
COULD WATERMELON REPLACE
VIAGRA?
STANDING UP TO THE
OSTEOPOROSIS HYPE
MRSA IN
Environmental News
Index:
MORE THAN 80% OF WORLD’S
FISHERIES IN DANGER FROM OVERFISHING
Animal Sentience
Index:
LIVESTOCK ABUSE: NEW DOWNER
COW INVESTIGATION
Take Action Index:
GET MICHAEL GREGER, MD ON
TED.COM!
HELP SUPPORT THE GREAT APE
PROTECTION ACT
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General News:
“If you don’t stay informed, then who will tell the others the truth?” JC Corcoran
VIDEO: A LIFE CONNECTED
For the People. For the Planet. For the Animals.
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/veganvideo.html
JC Note: This maybe the best 12 minutes you will spend today! This video has all the elements to change people from the heart. Please watch it and pass it along!
VEGANISM GROWS UP
Calgarian Diana Stoevelaar hasn't had a hamburger, a bite of
cheese or a glass of milk in 21 years. She's not sick. On the contrary, she
says, her health has never been better. Stoevelaar became a vegan more than two
decades ago in her search for a non-medical treatment for her arthritis and
lupus. At first, she decided to give up dairy products, hoping for relief from
her chronic pain. Within 48 hours, her pain was gone, so she decided to make
further dietary changes, and on June 23, 1987, she had her last bite of meat --
a hot dog. She's now vegan, one of a growing number of people across
VIDEO: VEGETARIAN SUMMERFEST INTERVIEW!
First time Vegetarian Summerfest participant Carolyn Yane who has an interesting and inspiring story of how she went from eating meat to being a vegan almost overnight.
http://navs-online.org/movies/CarolynYane.html
FOOD CRISIS SOLUTION: GO VEGAN
... Why are we in the midst of a food crisis when world production of food per person has actually grown steadily since the 1960s? The answer is that we're not eating the food we grow, sometimes not eating them at all, sometimes wasting at least 80 percent of them. 100 million tons of corn is turned into biofuels that go into our gas tanks. That's a lot less corn for people to eat. But most corn isn't eaten by humans; it's eaten by animals and that's the biggest part of the problem...
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/17/future_of_food/
VEGAN FARMING TAKES ORGANIC TO NEXT LEVEL
... Much like certified organic farmers, veganic farmers use no synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified ingredients. Veganic farmers take it to another level by not using any manures or slaughterhouse byproducts. They don't even use organically approved pesticides.
Salmonella and e. Coli are bacteria that live in the intestines of livestock and are present in their waste. Livestock waste, or manure, can be used to fertilize fields, potentially contaminating crops with the disease-causing bacteria. Crops can also be contaminated by contact with infected animals or their byproducts, including bone meal and blood meal, which are used as fertilizer as well.
Veganic farmers use crop rotations and composted plant matter -- or "green manure" -- to fertilize their crops... Veganic growers say their methods reduce environmental impact by using less land, conserving water and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The practice, they say, is also cheaper than traditional farming and organic farming...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/06/18/veganic.farm.ap/
More on Veganic Farming:
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_9579863
CONSCIOUS EATING, OKAY, BUT WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?
... humans need only 10 percent of the calories we consume to be from protein. Athletes and pregnant women need a little more, but if you're eating enough calories from a varied plant based diet, it's close to impossible to not get enough... Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, and whole grains are packed with protein. So are all vegetables as a caloric percentage, though they don't have enough calories to sustain most people as a principal source of sustenance. And these protein sources have some excellent benefits that animal protein does not--they contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates, where meat has none. That's right: Meat has no complex carbs at all, and no fiber. Plant proteins are packed with these essential nutrients.
Plus, since plant-based protein sources don't contain cholesterol or high amounts of saturated fat, they are much better for you than meat, eggs, and dairy products. It is also worth noting the very strong link between animal protein and a few key diseases, including cancer and osteoporosis...
And just a few quick anecdotal points:
• Olympian Carl Lewis has said that his best year of track competition was the first year that he ate a vegan diet (he is still a strong proponent of vegan diets for athletes).
• Strength trainer Mike Mahler says, "Becoming a vegan had a profound effect on my training. ... [M]y bench press excelled past 315 pounds, and I noticed that I recovered much faster. My body fat also went down, and I put on 10 pounds of lean muscle in a few months."
• Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke advises, "The basics for nutrition are consuming large amounts of fresh green vegetables and a variety of fruits, to load yourself up with vibrant vitamins and minerals."
A few other vegans, all of whom sing the praises of the diet for their athletic performance: Ultimate fighter Mac Danzig, ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek, Atlanta Hawks Guard Salim Stoudamire, and Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez.
... vegans get all the nutrients our bodies need from plants, and will thus, according to the science, be more likely to maintain a healthy weight and stave off a variety of ailments, from heart disease to cancer...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/conscious-eating-okay-but_b_104502.html
101 REASONS NOT TO FEED DAIRY PRODUCTS TO YOUR CHILDREN
Children who are not fed dairy products enjoy:
1. Far less colic
2. Far less osteoporosis
3. Reduced childhood cancer
4. Drastically reduced chance of developing Type I Diabetes
5. Drastically reduced chance of developing Type II Diabetes
6...and on to 101
Explanation and research documentation for nearly all of these can be found in Baby Matters, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby (link provided)
http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-children/101-reasons.htm
OBESITY LEVELS IN
More than a quarter of adults overweight as more meat, dairy consumed... "The classical Chinese diet — rich in vegetables and carbohydrates with minimal animal-sourced food — no longer exists," the study said. "In 2006, fewer than one percent of all Chinese adults consumed a diet with less than 10 percent of energy derived from fat."...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25604151/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080711/lf_nm_life/olympics_dogmeat_dc_1
BOGUS STUDY: WEIGHT LOSS WITH A LOW-CARBOHYDRATE,
A study, published in the July 17, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, has generated headlines that may lead the casual reader to believe that a low-carbohydrate (animal-food based) diet is the healthy, effective way to lose weight and a low-fat, plant-food based diet, like the McDougall diet, is not. The diet they called “low fat” was the American Heart Association Diet - a diet of 30% fat with 300 mg of cholesterol daily. The diet I recommend is 7% fat with no cholesterol. The Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Research Foundation funded the study...
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008other/080716news.html
LEAN, MEAN MEAT-FREE MACHINE
Portlander Robert Cheeke is the face of vegan bodybuilding... Because of him, we’re on our way there. Through his website, veganbodybuilding.com, the 28-year-old former security guard has reached out to more than 1,500 vegan athletes around the world, produced an award-winning documentary, and created two Portland-based events—Vegan Vacation and Vegan Holiday Festival—with a prestigious international guest list.
“Nobody else is doing what Robert’s doing,” says vegan
fitness guru Brendan Brazier, a repeat champion ultramarathoner and bestselling
author of The Thrive Diet. “His site is one of the best resources for vegan
athletes, and in just a few years he has become
http://wweek.com/editorial/3436/11241/SOURCE=RSS
... "The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest" by Dan Buettner, and even more intrigued when I saw that Dr. Mehmet Oz said about it: "A must-read if you want to stay young! Buettner teaches us the secrets of the world's longest-lived cultures and how they can turn back your biological clock."
... Buettner spends large chunks of the book talking about nutrition. His findings on healthy eating aren't bafflingly complex, and they match the advice of every reputable health organization... In a section entitled "The Plant Slant," Buettner explains that virtually all of the people he studied who lived past 100 rarely or never consumed meat...
Here are Buettner's other top tips for living a long, healthy life:
* Be active without having to think about it (regular, low-intensity exercise is better than running marathons);
* Stop eating when your stomach feels 80% full;
* Drink red wine in moderation;
* Live with purpose, and take time to see the bigger picture;
* Take time to relieve stress;
* Participate in a spiritual community;
* Make family a priority;
* Be surrounded who share "Blue Zone" values.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-friedrich/indiana-jones-tofu-and-th_b_107994.html
MERCURY: FROM POWER PLANTS TO YOUR PLATE
... Nationwide, there are about 1,200 coal- and oil-fired power plants, and the construction of more than five dozen new plants is underway. Each year, the plants release an estimated 48 tons of mercury. Much of that mercury, a neurotoxin, ends up in oceans and rivers, where bacteria convert it to methylmercury—a more toxic form of the metal—which then accumulates in long-lived predatory fish, such as tuna. Larger, long-lived fish have the highest levels of mercury because they’ve had more time to accumulate it. However, many other fish contain small to moderate amounts of mercury.
People are exposed to mercury almost entirely by eating
contaminated fish and wildlife. Findings released by the
Fetuses and young children appear to face the most risk from mercury because of their small size and the vulnerability of their developing nervous systems. A recent study using national blood mercury prevalence data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 317,000 and 637,000 children each year have cord blood mercury levels associated with a lower IQ. Evidence also suggests that frequent consumption of high-mercury fish by adults may affect their neurological, cardiovascular, and immune systems.
http://www.greenerchoices.org/products.cfm?product=mercury:&pcat=food
BEER AND THE VEGAN DIET
... Beer, a plant based product, appears to be the ideal beverage for the vegan diet. It is rich in protein, B vitamins, folic acid, and anti-oxidants. It is also high in fiber, and slows digestion. It contains no cholesterol or fats. Hops, the flower used for its preservative and bittering aspects, have a somniferous effect on the body, and also sharpen the appetite. Although many beers are vegan friendly, there could be hidden ingredients that throw a red flag into a match made in heaven...
For a Short-list of craft brewers who make Vegan Friendly Beers go to: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art51550.asp
IN HONOR OF GEORGE CARLIN: EATING LESS MEAT
“And I think people have a lot of nerve locking up a tiger and charging four dollars to let a few thousand worthless humans shuffle past him every day. What a shi**y thing to do. Humans must easily be the meanest species on Earth. Probably the only reason there are any tigers left is because they don’t taste good.”
“Eating meat is one thing, but this whole beef-rancher-manure-cattle-hamburger side show is a different skillet of sh** altogether. Each year, Americans eat 38 billion hamburgers. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of red meat. Cattle consume one half of all the fresh water consumed on Earth. The sixty million people who will starve this year could be adequately fed if Americans reduced their meat intake by just 10 percent.”
– The late comedian George Carlin from his book Brain Droppings.
Health News:
"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." Hippocrates, the father of medicine.
UA STUDY FINDS BENEFITS OF FRUITS
Blueberries, grapes and other pigment-rich fruits contain high levels of antioxidant compounds that offer significant defenses against cancer, heart disease and other ailments. But antioxidant levels decline when the foods are processed for juices and other products, or when stored without refrigeration...
http://arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/news/?cid=78661
20 CANCER-FIGHTING FOODS TO EAT ALL SUMMER
*Leafy greens: Deep green leafy vegetables are packed with lutein, vitamin A and folate, nutrients that may help prevent colon and ovarian cancer - Spinach, Kale, Collard greens, Arugula, Dandelion greens
*Curry: Yellow curry contains cur-cumin, a pungent spice that may help prevent melanoma and other types of cancer cells from proliferating.
*Cruciferous veggies: These contain phytochemicals that may cut the risk of stomach, breast and skin cancers - Broccoli, Broccoli sprouts, Red Cabbage, Bok choy, *Cauliflower, Watercress, Swiss chard
*Berries: These fruits contain antioxidants such as polyphenols, which counteract and repair cell damage - Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Cranberries, Red grapes
*Tomatoes: Studies suggest that having a tomato-rich diet may help lower the risk of developing both lung and stomach cancer.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/20-cancer-fighting-foods-to-eat-all-summer-187234/
DARK CHOCOLATE, THE NEW HEALTH FOOD
Daily Allowance: 1.6 ounces - that's 50 dark chocolate chips.
Six Benefits: At any age, recent studies have shown, dark chocolate may:
1. Lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels.
2. Reduce the risk of diabetes by reducing blood sugar and insulin.
3. Activate enzymes that eliminate cancer-causing carcinogens and mutagens.
4. Reduce the risk of blood clots and strokes by inhibiting the clumping of blood platelets.
5. Keep cholesterol levels stable or even slightly improve them.
6. Enhance cognitive function by increasing blood flow in the brain.
Many foods-notably fruits and vegetables-are rich in antioxidants, which mop up molecules in the body that damage cells and hasten aging and disease.
Winner: dark chocolate, Runner-Up: pecans (14 percent less than winner), Crowd Pleaser: glass of red wine (25 percent less than winner)
Cocoa beans are processed into cocoa solids and cocoa butter. The solids contain the antioxidants. The higher the percentage of cocoa content listed on a wrapper, the more antioxidants inside.
The purest commercial varieties, like unsweetened baking chocolate, taste bitter, which means that most chocolate consumed contains sugar. Most ingredients added to chocolate raise its caloric and fat content and lower its antioxidants. Milk chocolate also contains milk powder or condensed milk, which interfere with the absorption of antioxidants. "White chocolate" contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk but no cocoa solids - in other words, zero antioxidants.
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/powerof50/articles/power_of_50__dark.html
FINDING OUT HOW FLAVONOIDS PROTECT THE HEART
For years, scientists have known that flavonoids, antioxidants found in foods as diverse as fruit, vegetables, herbs, grains and chocolate, are heart-healthy. Now, researchers who looked at the effects of flavonoid-rich foods on cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure have linked certain foods with specific benefits...
As more research on flavonoids becomes available, it is likely that no single one will emerge as a "miracle food, but that many will contribute to our cardiovascular health,"... "Evidence is accumulating that these substances are more important to cardiovascular health than vitamin C and vitamin E," and this most recent analysis strongly suggests good effects on blood pressure and blood vessel function...
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90956
ORNISH DIET ALTERS GENES IN PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS
Prostate cancer patients who followed an extremely low fat diet and an exercise and stress management regimen turned on cancer preventing genes and turned off genes linked to triggering the disease...
TEA MAY IMPROVE ATTENTION AND FOCUS, KEEP BRAIN CELLS HEALTHY, & INFLUENCE GENETICS IN CANCER
Drinking four to five cups of tea a day may help maintain a healthy mind and body, according to new research published in a supplement to the August issue of the Journal of Nutrition... "In the past, it was thought that once brain cells were damaged, there was no way to repair them. Not only may the EGCG help prevent brain cells from dying, it appears that the polyphenol may even rescue the neurons, once they have been damaged, to help them repair," says Dr. Mandel.
... Tea May Alter Cancer Genetics... human clinical trial suggests that bioactive compounds in tea have a significant effect on genes that impact cancer susceptibility and repair from environmental insults...
The ongoing scientific exploration of the health benefits of drinking tea has led to a growing body of research that points to tea as an important contributor to overall health
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080718/nyf001.html?.v=98
PLANT FOODS FOR PRESERVING MUSCLE MASS
Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that are key to good health. Now, a newly released study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists suggests plant foods also may help preserve muscle mass in older men and women.
The typical American diet is rich in protein, cereal grains and other acid-producing foods. In general, such diets generate tiny amounts of acid each day. With aging, a mild but slowly increasing metabolic "acidosis" develops, according to the researchers. Acidosis appears to trigger a muscle-wasting response...
... volunteers whose diets were rich in potassium could expect to have 3.6 more pounds of lean tissue mass than volunteers with half the higher potassium intake. That almost offsets the 4.4 pounds of lean tissue that is typically lost in a decade in healthy men and women aged 65 and above, according to authors. The study was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Sarcopenia, or loss of muscle mass, can lead to falls due to weakened leg muscles...
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2008/080523.htm
COULD WATERMELON REPLACE VIAGRA?
Researchers at
By helping the body create a certain protein called
arginine, watermelon has other positive effects, said Dr. Bhimu Patil of the
school's Fruit and
"Watermelon may not be as organ specific as Viagra," Patil said, "but it's a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects."...
http://www.nbc10.com/health/16769436/detail.html?rss=phi&psp=health
STANDING UP TO THE OSTEOPOROSIS HYPE
At age 53, in 2004, I had my first bone density scan and was diagnosed with osteopenia, the precursor of osteoporosis. For years I have been aware that my small 5’3” build could be a risk factor for osteoporosis, and now it seemed my fears were finally being realized... Many years prior, I had decided to become a vegetarian. I had also decided to stop drinking milk at every meal (in an effort to lose weight), but I continued to eat cheese and other dairy foods... I was eating an “osteoporosis-prevention” diet according to commonly held doctrine about dairy foods... I decided to shift to a low-fat, low-sodium vegan diet in an effort to get off the Fosamax. In addition to my previous concerns, I often wondered why the advisory about this drug warned against lying down when taking it—what was that stuff doing in my body?...
In 2008, at age 57, I had another bone scan, and my hip is now at 101% for women my age, and my spine has improved as well: There has been a 6% improvement in the hip and a 3.6% improvement in the spine over the past two years. There can be no doubt that I am rebuilding bone without medication, dairy products, or supplements... I feel terrific, and I no longer worry about osteoporosis. I love that I am in control of my own health...
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008star/jul/mary.htm
MRSA IN
An effective way to say there isn't a problem is never to look. That seems to be precisely what most U.S. government food-safety agencies are doing when it comes to determining whether the livestock in our food supply is contaminated with MRSA and if so, whether the often-fatal bacterium is being passed on to consumers who buy and consume that meat.
We know that some strains of MRSA – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – are extremely dangerous. Dr. Monina Klevens, of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, examined the cases of the disease reported in hospitals, schools and prisons in one year and extrapolated that "94,360 invasive MRSA infections occurred in the United States in 2005; these infections were associated with death in 18,650 cases."
... be advised that Weese warns that MRSA could also be in beef, chicken and lamb, but no one is checking.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/secretingredients/archives/140336.asp
Environmental News:
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Albert Einstein
MORE THAN 80% OF WORLD’S FISHERIES IN DANGER FROM OVERFISHING
A new report released by Oceana concludes that more than 80 percent of the world's fisheries cannot withstand increased fishing activity and only 17 percent of the world's fisheries should be considered capable of any growth in catch at all. Too Few Fish: A Regional Assessment of the World's Fisheries shows there is very little room for further expansion of global fishing efforts...
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/36809
Animal Sentience:
"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men." Alice Walker, author and activist.
LIVESTOCK ABUSE: NEW DOWNER COW INVESTIGATION
June 2008: The HSUS uncovers more appalling abuses of downed dairy cows at a livestock auction.
A local prosecutor in
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316624,00.html
Graphic Video: http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/smithfield_investigation
Take Action:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, anthropologist
GET MICHAEL GREGER, MD ON TED.COM!
It's time we get the vegan message out into the mainstream. I'm asking you to submit Dr. Michael Greger to TED.com for a speaking engagement. Michael would like to get this invitation and there is no reason we can't get it for him. Hundreds of thousands of intellectuals watch these videos and we could have a major impact on them with a Michael Greger presentation! Please fill in the boxes as best you can. With enough of us submitting his name they will have to take a serious look. Feel free to share this with others. The submission link is below with Michaels contact information. Thank you for helping! JC
http://www.ted.com/nominate/speaker
Michael Greger, M.D.
Director, Public Health and Animal Agriculture
The Humane Society of the
direct line: (202) 676-2361
fax: (202) 676-2372
HELP SUPPORT THE GREAT APE PROTECTION ACT
Approximately 1,200 chimpanzees, our closest living
relatives, are languishing in laboratories across the
The Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 5852) has been introduced to end invasive research on the 1200 chimpanzees remaining in laboratories, retire the approximately 600 federally-owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary, and make the recent decision by the National Center for Research Resources—part of NIH—to stop funding the breeding of federally-owned chimpanzees statutory.
TAKE ACTION: https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2008_apeprotectionact2?rk=Pp1TbvMqBMk7E
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