December 2008
News For Life
This newsletter, in its 7th 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:
OUR ANNUAL: A
GRAPHIC MOVIE: EARTHLINGS
(2003)
WHY VEGANS WERE RIGHT ALL
ALONG
VEGAN BODY BUILDER SHOWS OFF
HIS MEATLESS MUSCLES
THE HUMANE CHARITY SEAL OF
APPROVAL
WHAT ABOUT SOY?
VEGETARIAN LIFESTYLE CATERS
TO ALL AGES
STUDY EXPANDS THE INDICATIONS
FOR STATINS—AND THE PUBLIC SUFFERS
HOME SWEET HOME
VIDEO: INSIDE ALICIA
SILVERSTONE’S ANIMAL SANCTUARY
VIDEO: BIZARRO'S
DAN PIRARO ON VEGAN ISSUES
VIDEO: SKINNY BITCH AUTHOR
RORY FREEDMAN
VIDEOS: THE TRAVELING
VEGETARIAN
Health News Index:
VEGANS MAY HAVE ANSWERS TO
OPTIMUM NUTRITION SAYS LEADING NUTRITIONIST, YVONNE BISHOP-WESTON
WANT MORE MUSCLE? EAT A
BANANA
PRUNES MAY BUILD STRONGER
BONES
ADD TURMERIC TO YOUR FOOD
RED MEAT AGAIN LINKED TO
COLORECTAL CANCER
EGG CONSUMPTION LINKED TO
RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
COMMON CHEMICAL MAY INCREASE
HEART ATTACK, TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK
Environmental News
Index:
VIDEO: DR. DAVID SUZUKI ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
VIDEO: MEAT THE FACTS - ON
GLOBAL WARMING
BUSH GIVES FACTORY FARMS A
GOODBYE KISS
BUSH TEARING APART PROTECTION
FOR
Animal News Index:
BECAUSE I'M FEMALE
Take Action Index:
HELP END THE USE OF LIVE PIGS
FOR TRAUMA TRAINING AT
URGE PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA TO SUPPORT ANIMAL PROTECTION
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General News:
“If you don’t stay informed, then who will tell the others the truth?” JC :-)
OUR ANNUAL: A
Aren’t humans amazing Animals? They kill wildlife - birds, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million in order to protect their domestic animals and their feed.
Then they kill domestic animals by the billion and eat them. This in turn kills people by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - - health conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.
So then humans spend billions of dollars torturing and killing millions of more animals to look for cures for these diseases.
Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals.
Meanwhile, few people recognize the absurdity of humans, who kill so easily and violently, and once a year send out cards praying for "Peace on Earth."
~Revised from Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coates
http://www.plantpeacedaily.org/files/Peace_on_Earth.htm
GRAPHIC MOVIE: EARTHLINGS (2003)
"Narrated by Academy Award Nominee Joaquin Phoenix and featuring music by the critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby, EARTHLINGS is a documentary film about humankind's complete economic dependence on animals raised for pets, food, clothing, entertainment and scientific research. Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, EARTHLINGS chronicles the day-to-day practices of the industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit. Powerful, informative, controversial and thought-provoking, EARTHLINGS is by far the most comprehensive documentary ever produced on the correlation between nature, animals and human economic interests." 1 hour and 36 minutes.
http://www.moviesfoundonline.com/earthlings.php
WHY VEGANS WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG
The Christians stole the winter solstice from the pagans, and capitalism stole it from the Christians. But one feature of the celebrations has remained unchanged: the consumption of vast quantities of meat... The number of farm animals on earth has risen fivefold since 1950: humans are now outnumbered three to one. Livestock already consume half the world's grain, and their numbers are still growing almost exponentially.
Many of those who have begun to understand the finity of global grain production have responded by becoming vegetarians. But vegetarians who continue to consume milk and eggs scarcely reduce their impact on the ecosystem... I've long found it convenient to categorise veganism as a response to animal suffering or a health fad. But, faced with these figures, it now seems plain that it's the only ethical response to what is arguably the world's most urgent social justice issue...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/dec/24/christmas.famine
VEGAN BODY BUILDER SHOWS OFF HIS MEATLESS MUSCLES
... Cheeke spoke to UCF students Thursday about his Web site, http://www.veganbodybuilding.com, and his transition from skinny teenager to vegan muscle man.
Growing up on a farm in
Cheeke said that as a teenager he raised and slaughtered animals for food himself.
"That's where everything about me began, but it all changed for me on Dec. 8, 1995," Cheeke said...
... healthy eating has led to his growth from 120 pounds to almost 200 pounds. He no longer eats bread rolls and candy; instead, he eats plant-based and organic products and has transformed himself from scrawny high school athlete to champion bodybuilder and motivational speaker...
THE HUMANE CHARITY SEAL OF APPROVAL
HCSA is the easiest way for donors to spot charities that are committed to providing vital services and care to patients or advancing research without the use of animals.
People who donate to charities want to know where their money is going. For many, a key concern is whether their donations might fund animal experiments. In fact, over 65 percent of adults recently surveyed said they would be more likely to donate to a health charity that had a policy of never funding animal experiments. Over 80 percent of those under 35 agreed.
With a rapidly expanding and diversifying list of approved charities, the Humane Charity Seal of Approval is leading the way into a new era of humane giving.
WHAT ABOUT SOY?
... The litany of dangers with soy products, according to the article by Fallon and Enig, is nearly endless. Tofu, they say, shrinks brains and causes Alzheimer's. Soy products promote rather than prevent cancer. Soy contains "antinutrients" and is full of toxins. The pro-soy publicity of the past few years is nothing but "propaganda." Soy formula, they say, amounts to "birth control pills for babies." "Soy is not hemlock," they conclude, "soy is more insidious than hemlock." Fallon and Enig say the soy industry knows soy is poisonous, and "lie(s) to the public to sell more soy."
They say that soy is "the next asbestos," that there will be huge lawsuits with "thousands and thousands of legal briefs," and that those who will be held legally responsible for deliberately manipulating the public to make money "include merchants, manufacturers, scientists, publicists, bureaucrats, former bond financiers, food writers, vitamin companies, and retail stores." Given the rapidly expanding role that soy in its many forms has come to play in the Western diet, these accusations are extremely serious. If they are to be believed, the widespread trust that many people have come to have in soy is not only misplaced, but disastrous...
... There are legitimate questions about certain soyfoods, and much we have yet to learn. Becoming soy-a-holics and automatically downing anything made from soybeans is not the road to health, but neither is shunning and stigmatizing soyfoods. The anti-soy crusade has needlessly frightened many away from a food source that has long been a boon to humankind, a food source that can, if we are respectful of our bodies and of nature, nourish and bless us in countless ways.
http://www.vegfamily.com/health/is-soy-bad-for-you.htm
VEGETARIAN LIFESTYLE CATERS TO ALL AGES
... Brenda Davis is nearly 50, but she has the look of a
much younger woman. Her secret? Her vegan diet and
active lifestyle... "I live what I preach," says
STUDY EXPANDS THE INDICATIONS FOR STATINS—AND THE PUBLIC SUFFERS
Front page headlines worldwide announced a simple test called “highly sensitive C-reactive protein” (HS-CRP) and the most powerful cholesterol-lowering statin currently on the market, Crestor (rosuvastatin), used together, could cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death from cardiovascular disease in half.1 For the casual reader, Crestor appears to be a miracle treatment with few risks and reasonable costs. Today’s publication adds to the belief of a growing number of experts that “statins are so wonderful that they should be added to our drinking water” (like fluoride)...
How Did They Get Those Results?
1) They stacked the deck with sick people, but passed them off as “healthy” to the press and public...
2) They Emphasized Relative, Not Absolute Benefits...
3) Early Termination of the Study Is Impressive but Suggests Dishonesty...
4) Researchers Underemphasized Serious Adverse Events from Crestor...
The article did mention an increase in risk of diabetes in those treated with Crestor (270 reports of diabetes, vs. 216 in the placebo group). But there must be more. Amazingly, this study reported only one case of serious muscle damage (rhabdomyolysis). The expected rate is 3.16 fatal cases per million prescriptions written for Crestor.7 This is 16 to 80 times higher than that reported for other statins. Almost four years ago Dr. David Graham, FDA's associate director for science and medicine, named Crestor as one of five drugs that pose serious safety concerns and the FDA told AstraZeneca to pull its ads for Crestor because they do not mention its risks of causing acute kidney failure or rhabdomyolysis...
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008other/news081110crestor.html
HOME SWEET HOME
Looking for a veg-friendly city where you can lay down roots? We've got inspiration for your next move...
Kapaa,
Nelson,
VIDEO: INSIDE ALICIA SILVERSTONE’S ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Maria Menounos caught up with Alicia Silverstone, a longtime animal and environmental activist, at Animal Acres.
VIDEO: BIZARRO'S DAN PIRARO ON VEGAN ISSUES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfLUKaxIoLY
VIDEO: SKINNY BITCH AUTHOR RORY FREEDMAN
Five good reasons to go vegan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4jsKZ_o28Q
VIDEOS: THE TRAVELING VEGETARIAN
Yvonne Smith interviews restaurant owners, chefs and does taste tests across the country.
... Last year, Sea Shepherd’s tactics helped halve the quota of the Japanese fleet, resulting in a $70 million dollar loss. It wasn’t easy, however, as Watson himself was shot during one of the forays. “I was wearing a bullet-proof vest, ” he told an Australian newspaper, “but the bullet hit my badge (an anti-poaching badge) so I had this bullet and I jokingly gave it to the guy who played Grissom in CSI (actor William Petersen) - he’s one of our supporters - and said ‘Hey, take a look at this because no one else will.’ Joining Hannah — and a crew of over 40 volunteers — will once more be a filming crew from Animal Planet. I guess we can look forward to season two of Whale Wars. Here’s to hoping everyone makes it back safe...
Health News:
"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." Hippocrates, the father of medicine.
VEGANS MAY HAVE ANSWERS TO OPTIMUM NUTRITION SAYS LEADING NUTRITIONIST, YVONNE BISHOP-WESTON
... Metabolic Inflamation
Thwarts Weight Loss. The nutritionist says "researchers from the
Metabolic inflammation is a chronic, low-grade condition consisting of inflammatory-like responses at the molecular level. It’s thought it has many consequences including causing cellular dysfunction, which can decrease the regulation of several physiological processes, including metabolism. Metabolic inflammation may also be at the core of many chronic, obesity-related metabolic disorders that are so common today...
Bishop-Weston goes on to urge us to reduce the amount of calories we in the west soak up from eating nutrient stripped ‘white carbohydrates’ from foods such as white pasta, white bread, processed white rice, cakes biscuits and sugar. She says these are the most likely calories stored as body fat. As the body stores toxins in fat it you need to be quite clever to coax your body to break that fat down again...
"For your main meal your plate should be a rainbow of natural colours to ensure you are getting adequate supplies of phyto-nutrients and anti oxidants." advises the nutritionist. "Essential fats found in cold pressed oils and fresh seeds such as hemp, rape and flax need to feature much more strongly in modern diets if we are to avoid a plague of debilitating, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and Alzheimer’s."...
"we need to replace cola with fresh vegetable juices, swap doughnuts for porridge, change burgers for berries and look to true plant based super foods such as sustainably grown hempseeds and algae to save us from nutritional and environmental catastrophe."
http://www.prleap.com/pr/128111/
WANT MORE MUSCLE? EAT A BANANA
You may think eating lots of protein gives you more muscle
mass -- but you should try potassium-packed fruits and vegetables instead, says
a new USDA study at
Typically, muscle mass declines after age 50. But seniors who ate lots of high-potassium foods were apt to have 3.6 more pounds of lean tissue mass than those who had half as much potassium.
Here's the science: Researchers believe potassium counters the effects of foods, such as meat and cereal grains, that create “acidic residues” in the body, promoting muscle wasting. Vegetables and fruits, including citrus, paradoxically become alkaline in the body, helping neutralize the acidity.
Good sources: Potassium is high in bananas, dried apricots, cantaloupe, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, pumpkin, legumes, avocado, orange juice and tomato products.
PRUNES MAY BUILD STRONGER BONES
... Researchers suggest that eating prunes could benefit people at risk of osteoporosis. Previous research found that feeding prunes to animals could both prevent and reverse bone loss, and that post-menopausal women who ate 3.5 ounces a day (about 10 prunes) showed signs of improved bone mineral density...
More prune benefits:
Fight disease: Prunes have more protective antioxidants than any other fruit (their dried form concentrates antioxidants). Antioxidants help combat virtually every chronic disease, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and dementia.
Prevent wrinkles: In a large study, elderly people who ate the most prunes, apples, vegetables, olive oil and legumes had fewer wrinkles and less sun-damaged skin than those who ate lots of meat, butter and milk products.
http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/081012/081012eatsmart-prunes-for-bones.html
ADD TURMERIC TO YOUR FOOD
Exciting new research says that we should eat more turmeric, the yellow-orange spice used in Asian cooking and curries. Turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant dubbed "curecumin" by leading researcher Bharat Aggarwal of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He says new studies show that curcumin may help prevent and treat cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, pulmonary disease, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and arthritis...
http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/081102/081102thinksmart-eat-turmeric.html
RED MEAT AGAIN LINKED TO COLORECTAL CANCER
A recent study from the Ontario Family Colorectal Cancer Registry, established by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, compared the diets of people who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer to the diets of people who did not have cancer. It turned out that those who ate the most red meat had a 67 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer, regardless of any genetic factors they may have had. However, some people with specific genes had a much higher risk from meat-eating—up to four times the cancer risk—compared to people who avoid meat.
Every year, 160,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. About half of all cases are already incurable when they are found.
Cotterchio M, Boucher BA, Manno M, Gallinger S, Okey AB, Harper PA. Red meat intake, doneness, polymorphisms in genes that encode carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, and colorectal cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. 2008;17:3098-3107. http://www.pcrm.org
EGG CONSUMPTION LINKED TO RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
In a new study including about 57,000 men and women from two large, completed randomized trials, researchers found that daily consumption of eggs increased the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Daily egg intake was associated with a 77 and 58 percent increased risk for women and men, respectively.
Djoussé L, Gaziano JM, Buring JE, Lee I. Egg consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. Diabetes Care. Published online ahead of print November 18, 2008. DOI: 10.2337/dc08-1271. http://www.pcrm.org
COMMON CHEMICAL MAY INCREASE HEART ATTACK, TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK
The rap sheet for bisphenol A, a chemical commonly found in food and water containers, baby bottles and the lining of aluminum cans, just keeps getting longer. But the chemical still has friends at the FDA.
A new study examining the effects of bisphenol A in human fat tissue finds that the chemical suppresses a hormone that protects people from heart attacks and type 2 diabetes. Bisphenol A doses examined in the study are typical of what is found in human blood...
Bisphenol A naturally leaches from
food and beverage containers, and human exposure to the chemical is widespread.
A 2005
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
VIDEO: DR. DAVID SUZUKI ON THE ENVIRONMENT
JC Note: This incredibly important talk didn't focus on animal agriculture, but did offer a comprehensive view of the fatally flawed economic system of the world. Please take time and watch this video!
VIDEO: MEAT THE FACTS - ON GLOBAL WARMING
JC Note: After watching the David Suzuki video above, watch this one. Suzuki's video will put it into context for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiYghMmFc_8&feature=email
... As the world faces the existential threat of climate change, the former Vice President has embarked on an admirable quest to reform carbon-heavy habits. Yet despite his talk of making inconvenient choices, Mr. Gore continues to indulge in one of the most environmentally irrational habits of all: eating meat.
A 2006 report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization found that meat production generates almost a fifth of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions—more than the world’s cars, planes, and trucks combined. Moreover, the report cited meat production as a primary cause of land degradation, air pollution, water shortage, water pollution, and lost biodiversity. The scientists concluded “the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”
To put this in perspective, a
Mr. Gore, a Prius driver, spoke at
length on Wednesday about achieving energy independence. But one third of
The facts suggest that adopting a vegetarian diet is the single most powerful step an individual can take to combat climate change. For the sake of the planet and his own credibility, Mr. Gore should follow those facts.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=524846
BUSH GIVES FACTORY FARMS A GOODBYE KISS
... Among the many new regulations—or, rather, deregulations—the Administration has proposed are rules that would: make it harder for the government to limit workers’ exposure to toxins, eliminate environmental review from decisions affecting fisheries, and ease restrictions on companies that blow up mountains to get at the coal underneath them. Other midnight regulations in the works include rules to allow “factory farms” to ignore the Clean Water Act, rules making it tougher for employees to take family or medical leave, and rules that would effectively gut the Endangered Species Act....
BUSH TEARING APART PROTECTION FOR
Animal News:
"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.
BECAUSE I'M FEMALE
Because I'm female, my body and breast
feel for a cow and her life of unrest.
Because I'm female, I'm filled with disdain
at using sisters for financial gain.
Because I'm female, I'm upset at how
insemination is forced on a cow.
Because I'm female, it's awful to see
cows impregnated artificially.
Because I'm female, I see why they mourn
when somebody steals their cherished new born.
Because I'm female, I'm saddened to think
that veal results from the dairy we drink.
Because I'm female, I naturally know
cow's milk is meant for a young calf to grow.
Because I'm female, my belief is strong:
Dairy consumption is sexist and wrong.
From the book METAMORPHOSIS: Poems to Inspire Transformation by Vegan Poet.
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
HELP END THE USE OF LIVE PIGS FOR TRAUMA TRAINING AT
Please contact
URGE PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA TO SUPPORT ANIMAL PROTECTION
President-elect Barack Obama is working to fill key positions in his administration, among them the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary of Agriculture has a tremendous impact on the treatment of animals and the enforcement of a broad range of laws—including those covering puppy mills, humane slaughter, animal fighting, and food safety.
Please urge President-elect Barack Obama to appoint a Secretary of Agriculture who takes animal protection and consumer issues as seriously as issues confronting farm producers...
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NEWS FOR LIFE is compiled and edited by JC Corcoran. If you received this national newsletter from a friend and would like your own FREE subscription or to see the archive go to: http://www.plantpeacedaily.org/newsletter.html.
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