July 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 our lives; from personal health to a sustainable planet and respecting other species. I hope you enjoy it and share it with others!
General News Index:
FORCING BELIEFS
OPRAH'S VEGAN DIET: GOOD FOR
HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
TEEN GIRLS ARE THE FASTEST
GROWING SEGMENT OF VEGETARIANS
VIDEO: SIMMONS IS VEHEMENTLY
VEGAN
WHO SAYS YOU HAVE TO EAT MEAT
TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE?
FITTEST GUYS IN
GOVERNMENT MANIPULATES
FIGURES ON MEATPACKING PLANTS
HUMANE MYTH?
Health News Index:
HOW EATING BLUEBERRIES CAN
IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY
BEANS, BEANS...
A NONINVASIVE CURE FOR HEART
DISEASE
A NEW WAY TO FIGHT CANCER
A VEGETARIAN DIET CAN REDUCE
CANCER RISKS
VEGAN DIET AND PHYSICAL
EXERCISES HELP FIGHT PROSTATE CANCER
INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE
BRAIN REDUCED BY PLANT FLAVONOID
THE ART OF TEA
RED WINE COMPOUND HELPS
HEART, MAY SLOW AGING
VIDEO: EATTHEWEEDS
VIDEO: APOCALYPSE COW
Environmental News
Index:
WHY PETA IS PUBLICLY REBUKING
FOOD MILES DON'T FEED CLIMATE
CHANGE - MEAT DOES
Animal Sentience
Index:
SIX 'UNIQUELY' HUMAN TRAITS
NOW FOUND IN ANIMALS
Take Action Index:
DOWNED FARM ANIMALS NEED YOUR
HELP!
FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO
FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!
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General News:
“If you don’t stay informed, then who will tell the others the truth?” Anonymous
FORCING BELIEFS
Vegans often hear from people complaining that we are trying to "force our beliefs" on others. Yesterday, we received an email attacking our parenting, which said, in part: The problem I have is that forcing your child to be a vegan (or a vegetarian for that matter) is bad parenting, you cannot force your own beliefs on a child. Let a child come to its own decision in its teens. Is "good parenting" simply following society's current norms?
Like everything about raising a child, feeding them means making choices. We aren't forcing our beliefs on our daughter Ellen, we are living our values. We have never forbidden her from eating animals; rather, we have explained (at an age-appropriate level) why we believe it is wrong to support killing and consuming pigs, birds, fish, etc. We would no sooner raise our daughter to view animals as food than we would teach her to hate and discriminate against homosexuals (or, if we lived 150 years ago, to keep other human beings as slaves).
Most children are naturally drawn to and have an affinity for animals; it is frightening and abnormal when a child chooses to torture, rather than befriend, other animals. We believe it is inconsistent, unethical, and yes, bad parenting not to respect and nurture this inherent compassion, but instead feed a child her friends.
When asked, 13-year-old Ellen chimes in: "So what, are you just supposed to not feed the child anything until he or she is capable of making a completely informed decision? Come on! Based on the information I have now, I would choose to be vegan no matter what you had raised me to eat, quite frankly. And I would be mad if you had raised me eating meat and waited until now to let me 'decide.'"
Of course, this discussion ignores the elephant in the room -- or, rather, the pigs, chickens, turkeys, etc. The animals who suffer on factory farms and die in industrial slaughterhouses are individuals whose lives are real and complete on their own. Their lives matter to themselves -- they are not just hypothetical pawns to be tossed about in the abstract. We have to answer to them for every choice we make, including what we eat, how we raise our children, and how we interact with others.
In her last, three-team meet (above), lifelong-vegan Ellen Green won the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m events. She also finished the year with straight-As in every advanced class, with the highest score for the year in Honors Geometry.
http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20080611.html
OPRAH'S VEGAN DIET: GOOD FOR HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
Some people say not eating meat or meat by-products is
better for both your health and the environment. Even talk show queen Oprah
Winfrey is trying it. But did you know changing your diet can also change your
carbon footprint? When Oprah, announced her 21-day body cleanse which cuts off
caffeine, sugar, alcohol, gluten and animal products she wondered, "What's
left?" Actually, the answer to that question is quite a lot and Oprah even
said on her blog, "I never imagined meatless meals could be so
satisfying."... Recent studies say eating a plants-only diet produces far
fewer gases than an animal-based diet and shrinks one's so-called "carbon
footprint." Dr. Gidon Eshel co-authored one study for the
http://cbs4.com/local/oprah.winfrey.vegan.2.744865.html
TEEN GIRLS ARE THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF VEGETARIANS
... roughly 1.4 million under-18s in the United States identify themselves as vegetarians or vegans, including 11 percent of girls between the ages of 13 and 17, according to the American Dietetic Association... Cunningham said that perhaps the high vegetarian rate in teen girls -- 11 percent versus 7 percent in women -- may be better explained by the fact girls simply are more sensitive to animal rights and the environment. "There are more girls than boys (adopting the lifestyle) because they are not immersed in the macho culture, where compassion is not encouraged and, unfortunately, aggressiveness is," he said...
VIDEO: SIMMONS IS VEHEMENTLY VEGAN
Rap mogul Russell Simmons tells American Morning why he strictly avoids animal products.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2008/06/10/phillips.simmons.vegan.cnn?iref=videosearch
WHO SAYS YOU HAVE TO EAT MEAT TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE?
The football player...
The mixed martial arts fighter...
The baseball player...
The ultramarathon runner...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keri/080616
FITTEST GUYS IN
Mac
http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/288?page=1
GOVERNMENT MANIPULATES FIGURES ON MEATPACKING PLANTS
For over two decades, the meatpacking industry has held the
undesirable position as
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_12659.cfm
HUMANE MYTH?
How should words pertaining to alternative farmed animal production, such as “welfare” and “humane,” be defined? Is alternative animal production sustainable? Is it a conflict of interest for an animal protection organization to promote alternative animal and meat production? Is the public being misled by alternative production claims? These are some of the questions raised on the new website.
Health News:
"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." Hippocrates, the father of medicine.
HOW EATING BLUEBERRIES CAN IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY
Eating blueberries can improve your memory and reverse the forgetfulness of old age... Scientists found that compounds called flavonoids in blueberries and other fresh fruit interact with nerve cells, increasing communication between them and stimulating the regeneration of brain cells... This can improve both short and long-term memory...
BEANS, BEANS...
Everyone is looking for that "superfood." But as I explained in my blog of March 7, 2008, The Real Superfoods, are fresh fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, intact whole grains and legumes. However, it turns out that when they look at long-lived populations around the world, one of these food groups shows up more often than the others. And, that food group is... Beans!
Yes, Beans. The musical fruit. :) In one study, Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities. which was published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004;13(2):217-20.) the authors concluded, "This longitudinal study shows that a higher legume intake is the most protective dietary predictor of survival amongst the elderly, regardless of their ethnicity." And, this protective predictor of legumes persisted even after controlling for age at enrollment (in 5-year interval), gender, and smoking...
http://www.healthscience.org/content/view/410/198/
A NONINVASIVE CURE FOR HEART DISEASE
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. has no qualms about stepping inside the nation's No. 1 heart hospital and dishing on angioplasty. Invasive treatment is a mainstay of cardiac care, and it pays the bills. It's also what's wrong with medicine, says the retired Cleveland Clinic surgeon who has been affiliated with the hospital for 40 years. Esselstyn has turned his life's work to demonstrating that heart disease doesn't need to exist in the first place. And if it does, it can be reversed. The remedy is a plant-based diet, he says. Learn to live with no meat, no fish, no dairy or oils of any kind, and make yourself "heart-attack proof."...
A NEW WAY TO FIGHT CANCER
A diet chock full of flavonoid-rich foods like fruits,
vegetables and even tea may help protect smokers from developing lung cancer.
That's the latest research from the
http://www.kmir6.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1294/xmid/22483/Default.aspx
A VEGETARIAN DIET CAN REDUCE CANCER RISKS
... Walter Willett, of
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/A-vegetarian-diet-can-reduce-cancer-risks/316322/
VEGAN DIET AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES HELP FIGHT PROSTATE CANCER
A new study has revealed that frequent changes in diet, physical activities and reduction of stress changes the expression of hundreds of genes. A change of lifestyle shows a positive influence on genes, making them fight cancer or turn off the genes that develop cancer... Vegan food, daily walks and stress management practices help humans fight the disease, the scientists concluded...
http://english.pravda.ru/science/health/18-06-2008/105534-prostate_cancer-0
INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE BRAIN REDUCED BY PLANT FLAVONOID
Researchers at the
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108233.php
THE ART OF TEA
Pop quiz! Name a summery beverage that tastes great and may provide the following health benefits:
a) lower cholesterol.
b) clearer skin.
c) weight loss.
d) cancer prevention.
The answer? Iced tea, but not the bottle of Nestea or packet of Crystal Light you picked up at the grocery store. According to a USDA Flavonoid Content Report, ready-to-drink teas and powdered teas only contain one-fifth of the flavonoids of freshly brewed teas. Flavonoids fight cancer-causing free radicals, so you want as many of those in your tea as possible. “To get the highest amount of health benefits, start with good quality loose tea leaves...
http://www.cabinet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080608/HOLLISBROOKLINE01/371773896
RED WINE COMPOUND HELPS HEART, MAY SLOW AGING
Resveratrol, a compound found in grapes, red wine, pomegranates and certain other foods, may protect the heart and slow the effects of aging, a new study suggests... low doses of resveratrol mimic the effects of caloric restriction, diets with 20 percent to 30 percent fewer calories than a typical diet that have been shown to extend life span... "Resveratrol is active in much lower doses than previously thought and mimics a significant fraction of the profile of caloric restriction at the gene expression levels," co-senior author Tomas Prolla, a professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in a prepared statement...
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90040
Resveratrol—To Your Health!
Resveratrol is found in relative abundance not only in grapes and red wine, but also, not surprisingly, in raisins and purple grape juice. And it is found in peanuts, mulberries, eucalyptus trees, and the root of the Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), the source of most of the resveratrol sold in nutritional supplements...
http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=879
VIDEO: EATTHEWEEDS
Episode 01: Why Learn About Wild Foods
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x97jebTQisU
VIDEO: APOCALYPSE COW
The Simpsons
Bart joins the 4-H Club and unexpectedly falls in love with a cow named Lou. When Bart finds out that Lou has been sold to a slaughterhouse, he becomes determined to save him.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/18243/the-simpsons-apocalypse-cow#s-p1-so-i0
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
WHY PETA IS PUBLICLY REBUKING
... I can't help but wonder how someone who clearly cares deeply about the environment can reconcile that caring with eating meat--and I don't think that Al Gore even bothers to try, which is unfortunate, to say the least.
The chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who shared the Nobel Prize with Mr. Gore, is vegetarian and said that the two most important ways to protect the environment are to drive less and adopt a vegetarian diet... United Nations scientists concluded that the meat industry is "one of the ... most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global," including "problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity." As for global warming, meat production causes 40 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined. Eating meat is by far an individual's number one contribution to global greenhouse gases...
Only energy production causes more global warming, but much of that energy goes into the meat industry, which is why the Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook explains that "refusing meat" is "the single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint"...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-friedrich/why-peta-is-publicly-rebu_b_103324.html
FOOD MILES DON'T FEED CLIMATE CHANGE - MEAT DOES
That locally-produced, free-range, organic hamburger might not be as green as you think. An analysis of the environmental toll of food production concludes that transportation is a mere drop in the carbon bucket. Foods such as beef and dairy make a far deeper impression on a consumer's carbon footprint. "If you have a certain type of diet that’s indicative of the American average, you're not going to do that much for climate while eating locally...
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.
SIX 'UNIQUELY' HUMAN TRAITS NOW FOUND IN ANIMALS
To accompany the article So you think humans are unique? we have selected six articles from the New Scientist archive that tell a similar story. We have also asked the researchers involved to update us on their latest findings. Plus, we have rounded up six videos of animals displaying 'human' abilities.
1. Culture...
2. Mind reading...
3. Tool use...
4. Morality...
5. Emotions...
6. Personality...
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
DOWNED FARM ANIMALS NEED YOUR HELP!
"Downed" animals—those too sick or injured to stand or walk on their own—are often kicked, dragged with chains, prodded with electric shocks, or hauled by forklift in an effort to move them to slaughter. They may be left to languish without food, water, or veterinary care.
Downed animals are also at a higher risk of carrying harmful
diseases, such as mad cow, E. coli, and Salmonella. At least 13 of the 16 cases
of mad cow disease identified in
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/2007_downed_animals3?rk=Id1TbvM1HgkyE
FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!
Help educate the public about these vitally important issues. Please forward this newsletter to make a bigger difference in this world than you already are!
http://www.plantpeacedaily.org/
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