SoulVeggie

Cover for Heart Healthy Pizza Posted & Status Update

Final Cover Graphic for "Heart Healthy Pizza" (which includes the endorsements from Dr. Neal Barnard and the Esselstyns) is posted at:

http://www.hearthealthypizza.com/

I'm awaiting a physical proof of the book (NLT 02/6/12, so I've been told).  Once I approve the proof, the book will immediately be available for ordering at my website (being re-structured right now) and at my Amazon e-Store (also being worked on).

This month's delay was horrendous.  Between two software packages that weren't playing together nicely (the Microsoft-mind-setted LibreOffice was particularly difficult for me, a Mac bigot), and a losing horizontal altercation with a metal ladder that someone left where they shouldn't have (probably not permanent damage, but exquisitely painful when you sit at a desk for 10+ hrs. a day battling said software).  Combined, these unforeseen issues cost a lot of time and focus.  I designed and implemented the book's layout, as well as cover.

That all being said, at the earliest, the book will most likely next week (unless I bounce the proof which is unlikely!).  There is a small chance it'll happen this week, depends upon shipping.

I hope my cookbook helps a lot of people get rid of their taste addiction to added fat and learn how to make, literally, the "most nutritious pizza in the world" and that the six years of research and 3 years of writing has paid off.  Hardest project I've ever undertaken.

Best to all, Mark

 

WebMD: "Plant-Based Diet for Heart Health"

Guess more mainstream folks are catching on about a plant-based diet being "heart healthy."

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/plant-based-diet-for-heart-health

Decent and validating summary of studies pertinent to the topic, although the Med. Diet is often misunderstood.  As Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has pointed out, it merely slowed down the progression of heart disease in subjects (many still had heart issues later), and doesn't reverse or prevent heart disease as his recommendations have been shown to do.

Athough the article misses the issue of NO ADDED OIL (proven to reverse heart disease), it's still a timely and current article that provides me with additional encouragement to get my book out.  Doing final layout and indexing (have two incredible endorsements I can't publish yet!).  So close...

FYI, Mark

http://www.hearthealthypizza.com

From the article above:

"In an analysis published in 2009 in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers reviewed 27 studies on the heart benefits of four different types of plant-based diets:

• Vegan
• Lacto-ovo-vegetarian
• Primary plant-based (similar to the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, but allows small amounts of lean meat)
• Combination diet -- a traditional vegetarian or vegan diet combined with nuts, soy, and/or fiber

The researchers found that people who ate the combination diet decreased their total cholesterol and LDL "bad" cholesterol by 20% to 35%.

Those who ate the vegan diet had LDL decreases of 15% to 25%. People who ate the lacto-ovo-vegetarian and primary plant-based diets had significantly smaller decreases: 10% to 15%.

The researchers also noted that plant-based diets are associated with:

• Lower levels of triglycerides
• Lower concentrations of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP)
• Lower blood pressure
• Decreased body weight and body mass index (BMI)
• Decreased risk of death from any cause, including heart disease
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• Better blood sugar control in patients with diabetes

The heart benefits of eating more plant foods are well-established by large-scale studies such as the Nurses' Health Study and the male Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Studies show that people who eat the most fruits and vegetables have a 20% reduced risk of heart disease and a 27% reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, especially stroke.

Further research shows that each 10-gram increase in daily fiber from sources such as whole grains is associated with a 27% decreased risk of dying from heart disease."

 

MC Newsletter: Msg. from Howard, Heart Healthy Pizza, Pink Slime

The Intro and TOC:

"Howdy!  Welcome to the 72nd issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

Today we've got a special end-of-the-year letter from Howard, and an announcement about the new "Heart Healthy Pizza" cookbook (with a Foreward by Howard).

In this edition of the newsletter, you'll learn about the prolific and knowledgeable Dr. Greger's new website, "NutritionFacts" with superb short videos on scores of topics.  There's also information in this issue about which food companies are spending the most on lobbying Congress, a new report on the state of America's Heart Health, and how a very large study indicates that vegetables and fruits significantly lower your risk of strokes.

Reading further, find out about the world's "toughest woman" (hint: she's vegan), see a video of former President Clinton discussing his vegan diet, find out what vegan Ellen Degeneres is up to, and  the stats in a recent survey by the Vegetarian Resource Group on the number of vegans in the United States.  Monsanto has some serious problems, cows contribute much more to Global Climate Change than previously thought, the movie "Farmageddon" is screened on Capitol Hill, crows have a "danger" tool, and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is being legally challenged.

As usual, there's an abundance of new items in the Mad Cow Info Round-Up ("Pink Slime?") and lots to see and hear in the Vegan Digital Media Theater.

... as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers:  y'all can browse/search through past issues at the Mad Cowboy Newsletter Archives at:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/
Wishing all readers a bountiful, exciting, and rewarding New Year!

Best regards, Mark    MC editor/webmaster
[Note: have posted draft Table of Contents and Recipe Index for "Heart Healthy Pizza" at:

http://www.hearthealthypizza.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• 00: A Special Holiday Message from Howard
• 01: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
• 02: Announcing the "Heart Healthy Pizza" Cookbook
• 03: Mad Cow Info Round-Up
• 04: NutritionFacts, Food Lobbying, US Heart Health, Lower Strokes
• 05: Toughest Woman, Vegan Clinton, Ellen's Site, No. of US Vegans
• 06: Vegan Digital Media Theater
• 07: Monsanto Bugged, New Cow Gas Stats, Food/2011, Farmageddon
• 08: Corp./Animal Rights, Swine Case, Crow Tools, AETA Challenged
• 09: Quick Bytes
• 10: Closing Thoughts

Direct Link to the New Issue:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/95

Vegan Bloggers Reviewing Quorn

Fascinating to see many vegan bloggers doing blog posts reviewing Quorn's new "vegan" product.  They contacted me a few days ago and offered to send me a bunch of their product for my review.

I did a little research first, something most of the aforementioned bloggers didn't do.  The basis for Quorn is a mud fungus that they grow in huge vats and add nutrients/chemicals to, later "spinning" or "shaping" the final product into meat-like shapes.  More importantly, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (http://www.cspinet.org) has had a long battle with the manufacturers of Quorn concerning it's negative impact on many people who've ingested it.  Some have had digestive issues and are allergic to it.

The company making Quorn has also misleadingly promoted it as a "mushroom-related" product:

http://www.cspinet.org/quorn/

Did any of the vegan bloggers giving Quorn a "positive" review mention these things?  Unfortunately, no. Not even as an "FYI" or advisory.

John Robbins ("Food Revolution," "Diet for a New America") has weighed in on this issue:

http://www.foodrevolution.org/askjohn/35.htm

After having done my homework, I wrote back to the Quorn rep and told her, thanks, but that I'd rather eat mud, and please don't send me any of their product.

Vegan bloggers need to stop being so dazzled by the bright lights of some company offering to send them free products and instead, take a little time to do some research into the product first.  I saw the same thing with the intense POM campaign the other year.

http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2010/06/more-dubious-pom-wonderful-marketing-attempts.html

As veganism grows in popularity, more and more corporations will try to use us to promote their products, and we should be responsible for doing a little research in determining whether or not their products are actually worthy, minimally, health-wise in promoting BEFORE we post glittering reviews.

Or, at least, point out any controversies regarding the food product as part of their review.

"Use the Goggle Luke."

Ode to Andy Rooney

Rooney's death was announced recently, and I was speculating on what he might say about the topic.  I always enjoyed listening to his often insightful, albeit, cranky, observations.  Here's my ad hoc version of such.  Best read with his unique verbal cadence in mind.  He was a true original.  Mark

--------

(tick tick tick tick tick tick tick...)

"Don't you wonder about this "dying" thing?  I mean, people really make a big deal about this all the time.  Why do they call it "dying"?  What if it's really a new beginning?  Why don't we call it "re-booting?"  When was the original "booting?"  I don't like boots.  They irritate my ankles.

I think most of us worry too much about what's going to happen at the end.  I don't understand why we think we can second guess the universe and anticipate the next phase of our existence.  If it's a phase, does than mean we eventually get over it?

Then there are those who think the more pious amongst us will go to some heaven where we wear white robes, sing, and play harps all the time.  Don't you just hate robes?  No pockets, and totally inappropriate after Labor Day.  Don't even get me started about the harps.

If not ascending to heaven, I'm told we descend into fiery molten pits to live an eternity tortured by demons and hell's spawn.  I guess it's kind of like watching "American Idol" or a Republican Presidential Debate.

In one of his more cherry moments speculating about death, Mark Twain noted:

"[A] Dying man couldn't make up his mind which place to go to -- both have their advantages, "heaven for climate, hell for company!"

I'm not sure which I'd prefer.  Would interesting companions make up for lousy weather?  Would I be allowed to smoke a good cigar in Heaven?  I like my sweater.  A little chill in the air makes me feel more alive.

But, as things go, I think I have to agree with that venerable philosopher, Socrates, who probably best expresses the reality of the situation:

"To fear death, gentleman, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know."

You see, to Socrates, death was either a dreamless sleep or something exciting and new to experience.

I like new experiences.  That's how we grow and learn.  But then, as Socrates also noted:

"To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge."

I sometimes wonder what Socrates would think of Google or Facebook.

Anyway, I'm going to miss my time on Earth.  I've gotten used to my shoes and this sweater that has kept me warm most of my adult life.  Will I be allowed to have a desk in heaven?  I like this desk.

But then, as is often noted, "a wise man knows not to be the last to leave the party."

Guess it's time to go... see you soon."

(tick tick tick tick tick tick tick...)

Possible Heart Healthy Pizza Tester?

Still trying to find his e-mail address.  Figure he's a natural for testing some of my Heart Healthy Pizza Cookbook recipes:

FYI, Mark Twitter @solveggie @hhealthypizza

Announcing new cookbook: "Heart Healthy Pizza"

"Heart Healthy Pizza:  Over 100 Recipes for the Most Nutritious Pizza in the World."

So excited to finally be able to announce my new cookbook.  You can read the Forward by Howard Lyman ("The Mad Cowboy"), learn more about the no-added oil plant-based recipes, sign-up to be notified on when the book is available, and see an animation sequence flow of photos from some of the testing at:

http://www.hearthealthypizza.com

Best to all, Mark  (and no "Daiya" or other faux dairy cheeses are involved!)

Twitter @solveggie

Twitter @hhealthypizza

Video: Dr. Novick Contrasts Sugar, Oil, & Junk Food

Here's a neat short video of Dr. Novick contrasting Sugar, Oil, & Junk Food.  Interesting and thoughtful approach that I find most useful.  Sorry to have not blogged much recently, but I'm on the final laps of getting my own no-added oil plant-based cookbook out.  Working on 1st major edit, and when the 2nd major edit is done, I should be able to announce it (although it won't be available until late September or early October).  Dying to announce the title.  Best to all, Mark

Excerpted Quotes from Dr. Esselstyn on Taste Addiction, Added Oil, & Heart Disease

Been pulling together material to cull through for appendices in my "soon to be announced" cookbook.  The following are selected from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's landmark "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease."  Most notable are what he says about taste addiction, oil & free radicals, describing how even a little oil is damaging, and Dr. T. Colin Campbell's observation about oil in one's diet.

Enjoy!  Mark    Twitter: @solveggie

---------

Pg. 114:  "Collectively, the media; the meat, oil, and dairy industries; most prominent chefs and cookbook authors; and our own government are not presenting accurate advice about the healthiest way to eat."

Pg. 114:  "And it's not just a matter of bad information.  The truth is that we are addicted to fat --- literally.  Receptors in our brains account for our addicition to nicotine, heroin, and cocaine, and similar cravings have been identified for fat and sugars as well."

Pg. 114:  "The way to break the fat habit is to abstain entirely from eating it --- just as those who use heroin, cocaine, and nicotine must give them up once and for all.  We have all seen what happens with many people who go on reduced-fat diets in order to lose weight.  A diet that permits even a modest amount of animal, dairy, and oil fat still feeds the habit.  The craving remains.  And the moment diet is completed --- or, more often, fails --- the dieter too frequently returns to his or her old habits of eating and regains the lost weight."

Pg. 04:  "Here are the facts.  Coronary artery disease is the leading killer of men and women in Western civilization.  In the United States alone, more than half a million people die of it every single year.  Three times that number suffer known heart attacks.  And approximately three million more have "silent" heart attacks, experiencing minimal symptoms and having no idea, until well after the damage is done, that they are in mortal danger.  In the course of a lifetime, one out of every two American men and one out of every three American women will have some form of the disease.

Pg. 38:  "Every mouthful of oils and animal products, including dairy foods, initiates an assault on these [cell] membranes and, therefore, on the cells they protect.  These foods produce a cascade of free radicals in our bodies --- especially harmful chemical substances that induce metabolic injuries from which there is only a partial recovery.  Year after year, the effects accumulate.  And eventually, the cumulative cell injury is great enough to become obvious, to express itself as what physicians define as disease.  Plants and grains do not induce the deadly cascade of free radicals.  Even better, in fact, they carry an antidote.  Unlike oils and animal products, they contain antioxidants, which help to neutralize the free radicals and also, recent research suggests, may provide considerable protection against cancers."

Pg. 84:  "...[oils] are not heart healthy.  Between 14 and 17 percent of olive oil is saturated, artery-clogging fat --- every bit as aggressive in promoting heart disease as the saturated fat in roast beef.  And even though a Mediterranean-style diet that allows such oils may slow the rate of progression of coronary heart disease, when compared with diets even higher in saturated fat, it does not arrest the disease and reverse its effects."

Pg, 84 - 85:  "...Colin Campbell, author of the best-selling China Study, was asked his thought on the results of the Lyon Diet Heart Study [Med Diet], and to compare those results with those he found in studying health and nutrition in rural China, where coronary disease is practically nonexistent.  Colin didn't hesitate for a moment.  The Mediterranean and rural Chinese diets are practically the same, he replied.  "I would say the absence of oil in the rural Chinese diet is the reason for their superior success."

Pg. 04:  "The cost of this epidemic is enormous --- greater, by far, than that of any other disease.  The United States spends more than $250 billion a year on heart disease.  That's about the same amount the nation spent on the first two and half years of its military venture in Iraq, and fully twice as much as the federal government allocates for all research and development --- including R&D for defense and national security."

Pg. 04:  "But here is the truly shocking statistic:  nearly all that money is devoted to treating symptoms.  It pays for cardiac drugs, for clot-dissolving medications, and for costly mechanical techniques that bypass clogged arteries or widen them with balloons, tiny rotating knives, lasers, and stents.  All of these approaches carry significant risk of serious complications, including death.

Pg. 04 - 05:  I believe that coronary artery disease is preventable, and that even after it is underway, its progress can be stopped, its insidious effects reversed.  I believe, and my work over the past twenty years has demonstrated, that all this can be accomplished without expensive mechanical intervention and with minimal use of drugs.  The key lies in nutrition --- specifically, in abandoning the toxic American diet and maintaining cholesterol levels well below those historically recommended by health policy experts.

Pg. 05:  "The bottom line of the nutritional program I recommend is that it contains not a single item of any food known to cause or promote the development of vascular disease.  I often ask patients to compare their coronary artery disease to a house fire.  Your house is on fire because eating the wrong foods has given you heart disease.  You are spraying gasoline on the fire by continuing to eat the very same foods that caused the disease in the first place."

Pg. 05:  "I don't want my patients to pour a single thimbleful of gasoline [oil, meat, dairy] on the fire.  Stopping the gasoline puts out [and prevents] the fire.  Reforming the way you eat will end [and prevent] the heart disease."

Pg. 10:  "Cholesterol is a white, waxy substance that is not found in plants --- only in animals.  It is an essential component of the membrane that coats all our cells, and it is the basic ingredient of sex hormones.  Our bodies need cholesterol, and they manufacture it on their own.  We do not need to eat it.  But we do, when we consume meat, poultry, fish, and other animal-based foods, such as dairy products and eggs.  In doing so, we take on excess amounts of the substance.  What's more, eating fat [even as added oil] causes the body itself to manufacture excessive amounts of cholesterol, which explains why vegetetarians who eat oil, butter, cheese, milk, ice cream, glazed doughnuts, and French pastry develop coronary disease despite their avoidance of meat."

Pg. 11:  "The cornonary arteries are the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the muscle of the heart.  They get their name from the Latin word for "crown" because they encircle the heart almost like a royal headpiece.  They are relatively small, but exceedingly important: without the nourishment they bring to the incredibly efficient pump they serve, the heart becomes injured, begins to fail, and may die."

Pg. 11:  "The innermost lining of all blood and lymph vessels and the heart is called the endothelium.  Far more thana simple membrane, the endothelium is actually the body's single largest endocrine organ.  If all the endothelial cells in your body were laid out flat, one cell thick, they would cover an area equal to two tennis courts."

Pg. 11:  "Healthy arteries are strong and elastic, their linings smooth and unobstructed, allowing a free flow of blood.  But when the levels of fats in the bloodstream become elevated, everything begins to change.  Gradually, the endothelium, the white blood cells, and the platelets, the blood cells that cause clotting, all become sticky.  Eventually, a white blood cell adheres to and eventually penetrates the endothelium, where it attempts to ingest the rising numbers of LDL cholesterol molecules that are being oxidized from the fatty diet.  The white blood cell sends out a call for help to other white blood cells.  More and more of them converge on the site, becoming engorged with bad cholesterol and eventually forming a bubble of fatty pus--- an atheroma, or "plaque," the chief characterisitic of atherosclerosis."

Pg. 11:  "Old plaques contain scar tissue and calcium.  As they enlarge, they severely narrow and sometimes block the arteries...  A significantly narrowed artery cannot give the heart muscle a normal blood supply, and the heart muscle, thus deprived, causes chest pain, or angina.  In some cases, the coronary arteries actually perform their own bypasses, growing extra branches --- called "collaterals" --- that go around the narrowed vessels."

Pg. 11 - 12:  "However, it is not the old, larger plaques that put you most at risk for heart attacks.  The most recent scientific evidence indicates that most heart attacks occur when younger and smaller fatty plaques rupture their outer lining, or cap, and bleed into the coronary artery."

Pg. 12:  "As the plaque is formed, a fibrous cap develops at its roof, which is covered by a single layer of endothelium about as thick as a cobweb.  For a while, thus protected, plaques lie quiety in place, doing less perceptible harm to the artery's owner.  But an insidious process is nonetheless under way.  The white blood cells that raced to the rescue, now engorged with oxidized LDL cholesterol, are called "foam cells," and begin to manufacture chemical substances that erode the cap of the plaque.  The cap weakens to thethickness of a cobweb.  And eventually, the shearing force of blood flowing over the weakened cap may cause it to rupture."

Pg. 12:  "This is catastrophic.  Plaque content or pus now oozes into the flowing bloodstream, and that constitutes a thrombogenic event: nature wants to heal the rupture, and so platelets are activated.  They try mightily to stop the invading garbage by clotting the rupture. Thus begins a lethal cascade.  The clot is self-propagating, and within minutes, theentire artery may become blocked."

Pg. 37:  "We  should be aiming much higher: at arresting coronary artery disease altogether, even reversing its course.  And the key to doing this, as my research demonstrates, is not simply reducing the amount of fat and cholesterol you ingest, but eliminating cholesterol and any fat beyond the natural, healthy amounts found in plants, from your diet.  The key is plant-based nutrition."

Clip: USDA Recalls 96,000 lbs. of Tainted Beef from One Family

[From The Onion News Network]

Article: "The Yoga of Cooking and Eating"

I remember a transcendent moment, many years ago, when I was stirring millet in a pan to roast it, thinking about how monk’s “compete” for the honor of cooking for their order.  The individual grains of millet became “stars” in my mind, and the pan held within it a wonderful spiral galaxy of life, hope, & spirit.

The idea of communicating love to others through cooking has been a consistent theme in my life.  Indeed, it was when I no longer desired to cook for a significant other, that I often realized, definitively, that the relationship was over.  The giving of food, of sustenance, is a powerful process in human community, and in many societies over time, something that has often transcended bigotry, hate, racism, and a host of negative emotions.  The “giving” of food is fundamental, unselfish action, and comes from our core.  In some cultures, if someone shows up hungry at your doorstep, you are duty-bound to feed them whatever you might have available.  It is a recognition of the “I am/We are” aspects inside.

I remember, too, being awed by the cooks at “Kalachandji’s” in Dallas, Texas (a Krishna temple), whose practice of bhakti yoga (yoga of service) mandated that they were blessing the food they were making and would never dream of tasting it before delivering to anxious customers.  From a spiritual standpoint, they were “raising the vibrational level” of the food (or so I believe, unscientifically).  Spreading the love (pun intended).

This line of thinking also led to a little story I’d run across years later:  Great-grandma was in the kitchen after a huge multi-descendent dinner party, and engaged in dealing with a huge mound of dishes needed cleaning.  She was singing and happy.  Her great-grandchildren were puzzled.  “Why are you so happy?” They’d asked her. “It’s simple,” she responded.  “All these dishes means we had all this food, plentiful times, and everyone is full.  We should be thankful and feel blessed.”

It was delightful to run across the following article recently (here’s an excerpt followed by the full link).  It encapsulated very well some things I’ve learned over the years and sometimes forget during longer periods of emotional or situational stress:

“I had always thought that cooking was something you did to feed yourself and your family. However, monastic life has continued to teach me that cooking, if done with the right consciousness, can be a kind of yoga practice. I'm not referring to the yoga practice where you try to turn yourself into a pretzel. I am sticking to the original meaning of the term, which arises from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means to harness or bind back. Yoga means you are trying to reconnect with the divine.

Whether or not that reconnect actually takes place depends on one's consciousness. During my vegetarian cooking demonstrations at Columbia University, I tell my students that our consciousness during our cooking should be that we are "cooking for the pleasure of God and that we want to share our food with others."

Knowing that we're cooking for someone else can help remove some of the selfishness we harbor in our hearts and can increase the quality of selflessness. Since the process of yoga is meant to purify the heart and mind of negative tendencies, cooking with the right consciousness can be transformed into a yoga practice.”

I’ve studied Hatha Yoga (basic asanas) and for a couple of decades Raja & Agni Yoga (mind, fire/soul), and it’s humbling to remember that the simplest actions can be the most transformative, that we can also have “walking meditations” as some teachers put it, that don’t require immobility and solitude.  Mindfulness in cutting our fruits/vegetables. Thoughtful as we heat our grains and water, and thankful that we choose not to eat meat or dairy.  In this process, we are truly one with nature, and manifest gratitude in being alive.  Life persists, and we appreciate the bounty presented, transmuted, and provided.  To share this with another is to share a deep love for all that is.  Giving, without expectation of reward or reciprocation.  Acknowledging mutual divinity.

Enjoy this fine essay:  “On Yoga and Cooking.”  I think the author really nails it all and perhaps his words will provide a new perspective worth pondering.

Namaste!  Mark  (Twitter: @solveggie)

Rant: "Dietary Myths, Incompetenceish, & Self-Proclaimed Experts"

[In contemplative retrospect, I wasn't really happy with the tone of this post, and possibly some of the reasons for posting it.  I've decided to remove the post, move on.  I still believe and stand by the essence of what I wanted to communicate (that so-called experts often are not, and that we need to be vigilant), but think I should have found a better way of presenting my opinion.

Lotta stress the past several months, lotta deep discomfort over things going on involving caged farm animals, myself, and various people's actions/inactions/immaturities..  I now realize that the clues to understanding I'd ignored.  Transition continues.  I hope to announce the cookbook's concept/title in a few weeks.  Best to all, Mark]

Twitter:  @solveggie

Video: Vegan Black Metal Chef Episode 1: Pad Thai

This had me laughing out loud & giggling while watching.  Frickin' hilarious, & love the utensils.  Wonder if the creator(s) can sustain this kind of hilarity (& practical vegan cooking suggestions) for several episodes.

"Behold the Glorious Pad Thai," indeed.

Enjoy!  Mark (still deep in working on cookbook and trying to avoid ticking people off by the posts I really want to do):

[of course, I'm not endorsing the amount of oil,sugar, or salt used, but do admire the remarkable creativity in terms of presentation & general wit/production in this clip]

Twitter: @solveggie

Re-post: "The Compassionate Vegan"

This was originally posted in 2005, one of my first posts.  One of my favorite stories & lessons about being vegan.  Am still working on cookbook, adjusting to new, unexpected circumstances, & enjoying periodic tweeting.  Mtg. some neat people.

Best to all, Mark (Twitter: @solveggie)

-------

She was 92 years old when I recently visited Leisure World (a retirement community in Seal Beach,CA) to see my "Baba" (a throwback to her Slavic upbringings - "Grandma").  I was in Los Angeles to do a "head photographer" gig at AR2003, and in the process, had an experience eating dinner with Baba that caused a bit of a moralistic "dust-up" with some of the harder core animal rights activists at the conference.  Here's what happened and why:

Baba had adjusted to my being vegetarian decades ago (indeed, after once cooking vegetarian for her for two weeks... she proclaimed I wasn't a "poor vegetarian" as she'd once believed).  I'd told her before flying out, that I was now vegan, and wouldn't be eating any dairy or egg products.  She said she understood.

It had been a lousy flight and cab ride to Leisure World.  I'd been told that Grandma was showing signs of dementia (one of the reasons for my visit).  I arrived, famished and exhausted, noting the carefully laid out dinner table in the kitchen.  She proudly pulled out a casserole from the oven, one of my pre-vegan favorites:  zucchini, yellow squash, cottage cheese, eggs, cheddar cheese, onions, butter....  She beamed, telling me that she had to walk to the grocery store to get all the ingredients, and that it took her most of the day to pull this all together just for me.

I gulped.  What to do? I thought, as she placed the steaming hot casserole on the kitchen table.  She was so proud and so happy to be feeding her eldest grandson...

I thought about it as she finished putting stuff on the table. I watched her labor to walk around in the kitchen (back problems), yet smiling and chatting away all the while as she finished dinner preparations.

What did I do?  It was a no-brainer.  I ate two big helpings, and told her it was "the best damn casserole I'd ever had."  She beamed with joy and pride.

Okay, I felt the internal discomfort all night as I slept that night, and the next day I told her that I didn't eat dairy products.  She was puzzled: "but you did last night?"

"That's because you made it, Baba, but no more," I responded, kissing her forehead.

Days later, at Animal Rights 2003, I told this story in the inevitable late-night bar meet-ups and was surprised by some of the indignent agitated comments from many around me.  "No compromise! You should have "stood" your ground."  "You didn't have to eat the casserole, you could have told her you were full."  "What about the animals?" were some of the negative responses.

I stood my ground, and explained my position politely: Why should I emotionally devastate this 92 year old woman and not accept her love offering?  Who was harmed by my eating her food?  The milk (for cheese and butter), and eggs, were a done thing. My refusing to eat this meal would have saved no animal, caused no less suffering, and made no important point or significant statement that would have changed anything at all (for anyone or anything).

I appeased a woman in the twilight of her long long life.  As so many animal rights activists fight for compassion for animals, I was compassionate for her.  I have no regrets, and I hope that those who might read this and think in absolutes might take note.  I believe we must learn to be aware of any situation in its entirety, and not act on principles that may not take into consideration the full reality of who we are as living beings ourselves.  Shades of grey do exist, and I'd make the case that it is, in today's society, impossible to be 100% vegan (that's for another blog another time).

So, for the day I visited Baba, I wasn't vegan in the physical, but I was in the metaphysical... I showed compassion to another living being, enabling a treasured memory to someone I love dearly and giving her an emotional blessing she rarely had these days.  Her beautiful and thoughtful gift of love was reciprocated with the same compassion she'd demonstrated herself.

I be vegan, not cruel.

[2011 Addendum: I went back to see her after the conference, last time I saw her before she died. Once again, the same casserole in the oven.  So glad I ate two big helpings, told her it was the "best damn casserole I'd ever eaten").  The memory of her glowing with pride remains to this day]

Butterfly Effects & Animal Rights

A friend is going through a major transition in life, from intense animal rights activist, to a full-time job with an organization devoted to helping mentoring children.  Not an easy change in personal lifestyle, but no less worthy than the prior work.

Let me explain.  As activists, we can get involved in pretty intense, physically demanding, and emotionally involving work.  By our very nature, we throw ourselves into these efforts in the faith and belief that we can help make a change.  It can be all-consuming in process and alienate ourselves from both friends and family.  This can also precipitate internal self doubt: "what the hell am I doing??"

What we sometimes miss, in the final attempted analysis, is that we can't always know the results of our efforts.  Correspondingly, we can't always know if it's the subtle or quiet act we make or do in life that has a significant impact versus that which involves a lot of fire, smoke, and action.

Several years ago I met a man with "Turban" & my interaction with him (blogged about here) taught me an important lesson in life.  Has to do with the concept of "faith."

You canNOT know, in advance, what impact any action you take or make will have, ultimately.  The ripples of impact through space/time are not predictable.  At best, you can have the highest moral and spiritual motivation behind EVERY action or motion you make, take, or think.  No other conclusion makes any sense.  Butterfly-effect in full force.  We move energy, by thought & action, and this is an inescapable reality.

To my new friend regarding working with an organization helping children: who knows what impact the seeds you'll help plant will grow? These children deserve, at minimum, as much attention as AR groups give poor Factory Farmed Animals. In a real sense, are not these kids being "factory farmed" by a negligent & mentally/emotionally inept political system as well?  Who knows what wonderful accomplishments will be effectived by even one child helped?

There is nothing wrong with helping humans survive and thrive, and in fact, I wish more animal rights "activists" remembered this. They sometimes seems so focused on "animal" issues as to forget "human health" issues. I sometimes weary of them providing ridiculously unhealthy recipes ("Oh, but they ARE vegan") with the cavlier attitude that the "ends justifies the means, and it's for the animals." They are helping contribute to salt, fat, & sugar taste addictions.  My particular issue: heart healthy humans.  Does this make me an animal rights activist?  On some cognitive levels, yes.

We are ALL activists to some degree.  It's just that some of us recognize it consciously, and focus that flow.  But in effect, we are activists whether we want to be or not.  Every interaction, action, motion, thought, affects (activates) the system.  Humans are animals, or rather, animals include humans. In a real sense, any efforts towards helping "humans" and "animals" (sometimes it's absurd to assume a distinction between the two) is an animal rights effort (sorry, won't go into the silly "welfare" issue here).

What I do know is that we have to live our lives at the highest standards we can, and trust/have faith that we are doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people we can.  We pick and choose our causes as vegan activists, and all should be respected.  More importantly, we may never know the ultimate results of our efforts, but at least we strive towards a better world for all animals.

Including us.

 

Twitter: @solveggie

 

On Giving Unsolicited Dietary Advice: Fat, Salt, & Sugar

The issue of "giving people unsolicited advice" is very much on my mind recently.  Although I'm quite busy trying to get this cookbook done, dealing with personal tragedy, and deflecting naysayers, I thought it an interesting issue worth addressing on my blog.

I've been blogging less these days and spending more time in "Twitter-verse (@solveggie)," which, admittedly, is a mixed blessing.  Kinda like a humongous international cocktail party at times, and very addictive.  But, the issue of my pointing out the outrageous sugar and fat content of recipes posted as "healthy" has come up a few times.  People suggesting that it's best to not offer advice unless asked to.  "Keep the Peace."

Yup, that's my normal mode of operation, but regarding fat, sugar, and salt, I throw away that rule.  Let's look at an analogy:  if someone were about to jump off a cliff, "I can fly!!," would I voice a loud concern that, "Hey, that's not a great idea, let's discuss this before you execute?"  You might not be aware of new discoveries regarding the newly proven concept of "gravity."

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in this country.  Modern medical science can't CURE heart disease.  At most, through drugs, invasive surgery ("let's attach a leg vein to the heart, yeah, that'll work"), and other ridiculous (expensive) approaches, at most, they can delay death.  But, they have NOT reversed heart disease.

How many vegetarians or vegans believe that because they eschew meat, dairy, or eggs, exercise a lot, makes them immune to getting heart disease?  It's an illusion.  They may be "less" likely, but, with the added useless oil, sugar, and salt, they are not immune.  That's the problem. They don't know about the new "nutritional gravity" that has been proved.

When two doctors, separated by 2,000 miles (Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish) both, independently REVERSE heart disease through a no-added fat vegan diet, with 20 years of peer-reviewed research, it's hard not to pay attention.  Add to that Dr. Neal Barnard reversing Type II Diabetes with a no-added fat vegan diet, and Dr. T. Colin Campbell supporting the no-added fat concept (oh, and he was the head of history's largest study on diet, "The China Study.").

Then, if you factor in that Dr. Esselstyn points out that it's the added fat/oil that fuels plaque development that causes 90%+ of strokes, and that the constriction of one's blood vessels for several hours from eating one high-fat meal has been measured (yup, measured), one gets a better sense of the real issue.

Oil is NOT a food (neither is "Daiya, Follow Your Heart, or Teese").  It is a nutritionally vapid and useless highly processed bunch of fat calories that has severe negative effects on the human circulatory system, especially over a long period of time.  Those saying it's "healthy" are thinking in narrow studies targeted for specific effects, but NOT taking into account the totally of the biological impact of eating this non-food.

I try to be polite.  I try to be nice.  But when I see a single entree (and this one was "raw") promoted as "heart healthy" and it well exceeded the total day's worth of fat recommended by Esselstyn or Ornish (or 1/3 a day's worth of fat by the American Health Association), I sometimes feel obligated to point out the nutritional reality:  it ain't healthy.

Going vegan or vegetarian certainly reduces the probability of degenerative diseases in your life, but going no-added fat vegan pretty much eliminates the possibilities (5% genetics not withstanding).  It's the ADDED OIL that is the real killer, and that's hard to argue against.

Sure, people make their own choices, but there are far too few bloggers, twitters, Facebookers, journalists, vegan "pundits," veg cookbook authors, either aware of or communicating this NEW reality.

"Moderation kills" (McDougall, Campbell, Barnard, Esselstyn).  And the sooner we rid ourselves of the taste addiction to fat (let alone, sugar and salt), the healthier we will truly be.  I've been off added-oil for four years now, and I have no desire at all to use oil in anything.  It can be done.  You can re-calibrate (as Dr. Esselstyn puts it) your taste receptors.  You just need the desire and discipline to try.  Takes about 14 weeks.  Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, if you're about to jump off a cliff and I see you, I will say something.  If you are using "gawd awful" amounts of sugar, fat, and/or salt in a recipe posted online, I might call you out.  "Nutritional gravity."

It's not personal in a confrontational mode, but it's personal in a "life saving" mode.  Life is important.  Life persists.  People need to know the nutritional truth, not the urban myths.  We need to rid ourselves of our taste addictions, and truly embrace "real food. Living, loving, and relishing a long and healthy life depends upon it.

Re-Post: "Sojourn to Burger King"

Was thinking about upcoming planting & memories of this earlier post came to mind. Posted in 2005, most people following this blog probably haven't read it. One of my favorites, as well as truly intense.  Enjoy!  Mark (Been busy dealing w/ tragedy & work. Hope to announce cookbook's title later this month).

---------

[I wrote this back in May 2002.  The veg'n community was "a buzz" with the arrival of the BK Veggie Burger.  The burger made quite a stir, and invited many debates (among them, is buying one supporting BK's negative impact on society's health and our environment? Eric Marcus of the great "vegan.com" stunned many with his thoughts on the matter).  I hadn't been to a fast food restaurant in years and documented what transpired.]

Oh, gawd... I feel so unclean......

I had to run some errands in Burtonsville, MD, late this morning, and there was this Burger King in the parking lot of the strip mall.  Girding my loins, adjusting my shades, pulling up my pants, I went in.  I tried to swagger a bit, like some of the workmen I saw going in... look tough... you're walking into a store painted in primary colors... could be worse... could be McSlaughter's....

Felt like I was a Dallas fan in a Redskins bar, only I had sunglasses on and no one knew any better.  What do I do? A long line.  Quite the mixture of ethic backgrounds, generally lower middle income.  What sort of demented artist designed this place?  They are so happy selling dead animal products.  Better get in line.

The people behind the counter wear uniforms... are they a para military force of some kind?  The assault on my sense was almost too much.  They spoke some numerical code... "I'll take a Number 4, she wants a Number 5 without onions, I want a super-this and a mega-that"..... very confusing...

I checked out the menu overhead... gaudy and bright.. Yup, the "BK Veggie"  $2.29...  Lord... look at the other products on the menu... my internal calorie counter was going off the scale.  Unbelievable fat-laden and salty food... look at all the dead meat.   I hear Schossler chuckling with a little Twilight Zone music in my head.... look at all the crap they are selling, and buried in that visual abuse is the "BK Veggie" (next month the big promo for all BK's will be Chicken Whoppers, btw).

The lady and kid in front of me were fascinating.  She was clearly his grandmother, and thin as a rail.  The kid must've been around 8 or 9 years old, and rarely have I see any child so obese... he had, literally, three chins.. his ear lobes were the size of my thumbs... it was awful to see what happened next.  She order fried chicken fingers, large order of fries, and a Diet Coke or Pepsi for the boy.  Absolutely amazing.

I placed my order.  "BK Veggie Burger, microwaved."

"Microwaved?" the guy behind the register said, slightly above the yelling of people in the kitchen making and delivering orders (they were very busy.... french fries literally flying around).

"Yup... I'd like it microwaved. You can do that... I checked.  I don't want it cooked on a meat greasy grill."  Was that a mummered rustling from people behind me I heard, or thought I saw peripherally?

He went over to the manager, who was barking orders at the adolescents in the back.  He nodded after a pause, looking at me like I'm an alien.. Hmm, one of "them."  "Okay" was the final pronouncement.

"Here or to go?" the kid asked me.  Hell, I don't know, I thought.... how is this done?

"Ahh... h-here.." I stammered (did the people behind me think I was from a foreign country? I thought to myself).  I paid the blood money.

"Number 61"... guess that's me.  I raised my hand... "You got the veggie burger?" "Yup." "Here!" he dashed to bark out more orders.

The burger was wrapped in Burger King paper and on a plastic brown tray.  Now what?  Are people watching me?  Get a seat, yeah....

Ketchup... sure... grab some packages... napkins... dodge the crowd at the soda fountain.... get seat for good recon (near the kid and his granny).  Try to look nonchalant... cool... with it.... Master of the BK Domain....

Okay.... let's take a bite.... not bad... OUCH! (I don't own a microwave and forgot about the heat...).  It was small, edible, relatively tasteless.... the bun was like eating styrofoam with a slight crust...

"Eat all your chicken fingers before they get cold" the wise Grandma was advising her grandson, as he was shoveling french fries into his gaping maw while grooving on his plastic toy that came with the meal.

I forced more of the burger down.... looking at people around me.... amazed at what they were eating, as though this is civilized and we are the greatest nation in the world.

I'm done... now what?  Jeez... look at the people in the line... at least two-thirds of them are very overweight.  Wonder if there's a connection?

Now what?  Okay... save napkins and ketchup not used.... throw away stuff, advertisement paper place mat trashed, put tray on trashcan.  Unclean... unclean....

I sneaked out the back door.... Ah.... fresh air... sunshine.... it's over.  The cognitive assault had abated.  I was free again... felt like gargling with carrot juice.

Okay, Eric... I bought one outta support for the movement.  Would I do it again?

Only under extraordinary circumstances.  Yes, it's encouraging to some, especially if they promoted it better (at this store it was almost invisible), and Mr. Marcus made good points.  Yes, I would urge every veg'n to buy at least one BK Veggie Burger, even if you throw it away.  I think he's right that it must succeed, or rather, it would be sad if it did not.  Presumably, the other Fat, er, Fast Food chains are watching.

But then, as comparison, at the Giant across the parking lot from the BK, bagels are fifty cents, boca burgers are about a buck apiece when buying a pack of four, tomatoes (or what pass for them), run around 99 cents a pound.  The salad bar is around $2.50 to $3 a pound. Across the street at the incredible Amish market, potato wedges (huge potato) are a buck, handmade burger rolls, six to a pack, about $2.20. Tons of fresh produce, grains, legumes (beans usually $1/lb., millet somewhat less).  The local farmer's markets will open in a few months... fresh local produce.

Limp lettuce, translucent tomato slice, pale mayonnaise, and some carrot flecks in the veg patty.  $2.29 plus tax, lotta paper wasted. Flourescent light and red/yellow color overdose.

Progress?

As luck would have it, packages of vegetable and greens seeds were on sale for 10 cents apiece at the Dollar Store near the BK.  Bought twenty packages (brocolli, mustard greens, lettuce, basil, dill, parsley, etc... most will be micro-greens for me... 30 to 40 gourmet salads for about 5 cents apiece (many many more if I grow them past adolescence), some soil, water, and sunshine).

That's my idea of progress.  This brand of seed is usually six to ten times more in cost.  You can buy organic seeds cheaper in bulk, elsewhere.

The kid was in the Dollar Store, too, his Grandmother buying him candy, among other things.  She was trying so hard to please him and he had her by the pocketbook via her heart.  And in her love for him, his heart was going to have a rough time from the lifestyle being encouraged by her emotions.  How sad!

I shoulda slipped him some seeds..... told him they were magic, and that with love and attention, they would make him strong and healthy, extending his life and enjoyment of same.  He would be able to run faster, jump higher, laugh louder, love longer, and think better.

Of course, that's a fairy tale... and no plastic toys accompanied the seed packets.

 

[Twitter @solveggie]

MeatOut 2011: On Activism and Activists

Thinking about "Meatout 2011" as I wrote this post, my mind wandered back to my first "Meatout" experience many years ago, when I noted dedicated vegetarians/vegans from the Vegetarian Society of DC (the oldest such group in the country, I'm since a life member), huddled behind a table on the Washington Mall in freezing weather, cheerfully providing information to and answering questions from visitors to the Mall.

"What dedication..." I remember thinking.  They have a cause, and they are devoting their time, unselfishly to try to educate the public about the negative issues associated with eating meat, dairy, and eggs.  I admired them for that dedication and self-sacrifice, eschewing personal comfort and the usual focus on form stuff instead of deeper spiritual matters.  They're not calling it in, sending a check, they are actually on the front lines talking TO people and doing something active.

Since that time, I've done my share of overt activism in the streets handing out information, which was by no means as dedicated as those women who, in freezing weather, would protest the wearing of fur at the Galleries in North DC area.  Nowhere near as impressive as the tired but happy look in the eyes of the Mad Cowboy, aka, Howard Lyman, as he came back from a cross country lecture tour, inspired and on fire by the excitement generated and the feedback he received from the lucky people he spoke to.  Then there's the long long hours I saw Alex Hershaft (FARM) put in on his tireless and endless quest to avoid the animal holocaust he perceives occurring now versus the actual Holocaust he experienced as a child.  The inspired diatribes of Robert Cohen's daily column (the NotMilkMan) for so many years.

Personally, among other things, I've edited some 70 issues of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter (zero to 4,700 subscribers), been head photographer at AR200X Conferences (meeting so many dedicated people), helped write/edit a book of vegan recipes, developed/producted/edited/managed some 4 DVDs for the vegan madman called Howard.  Guess I'm a covert activist.  Then there's this blog.  Recently hit my 500th post.  Wow... all that ranting.

Activism, the activist... they are of a different breed than most people.  They care more for an ideal or altruistic goal then making money, focusing on having fun, and other superficial non-important non-spiritual drives.  Self-sacrifice flows in their blood.  They have a fire inside, something that propells them forward, no matter what the cost, no matter what the consequences, to help promote and make the changes that society must, eventually, incorporate for the greatest good.  They are the leading edge, they are the vanguards of newer ethics, consciousness, and awareness.  They force society to look at itself and re-examine it's values.  They are a mirror to the Medusa society is in danger of becoming if people don't evolve.  Balance to them is stagnation, there's a lot of work to be done.  They don't just think it, they put things into motion and do it.  They engage. They know there will be conflict, there will be risks, but they have the inner faith that a positive outcome will manifest.  Energy follows thought.

As I struggle with my cookbook, the long hours, the overall financial gamble, some ridicule, some personal disappointments,  I take comfort in knowing that I'm doing the right thing.  Of course it'll be a no-added fat cookbook, and help promote reversing and preventing heart disease (the number one killer of people in this country, vegan, vegetarian, or not).  I take some solace in recognizing that I'm not alone.  There are many activists out there, working their butts off every day, and with Twitter I've had the delight of getting to know many of them casually, who are striving to do better, and make this world a better vegan place.  THEY ARE ON FIRE!

Meatout is one of the more important activism efforts in the veg'n community. The world's largest grassroots dietary education campaign!  Year after year, FARM tirelessly promotes, educates, incites, encourages, and supports this effort (among many others) to help educate people about why meat is just plain bad.  Animal rights, the environment, spiritually, and health.  Hard to argue with all that these days, whereas two decades ago, we were considered deluded and there just wasn't as much compelling evidence to support what we knew was right, as is available now.  No easy way to distribute videos of factory farm abuses or dietary statistics.

With even the UN acknowledging the health and environmental benefits of a vegetarian (vegan) diet, we no longer need feel ashamed (if we ever did) nor shy nor crazy in our belief that going vegan is the best thing that a person can do, for themselves, for others, for the animals, and for the planet.  It was all that early activism, faith, and trust that got us this far, and it will be the same that helps us continue to spread the word.

So, give a kind word to the activist, a hug would help, try to understand their driven nature & desire to do good, that they are not trying to be difficult but simply want to move us all forward.  Respect them for the role they play in society and give them encouragement.  Without their efforts, we'd be stagnant, and significant change would be an extremely slow process even more vulnerable to Corporate bullshit. The activists are the catalyst in the meta-social chemical process of progress. They make it happen.

We're vital.  We are networking.  We are making press, the media is aware of us, and the change is happening.  I can't believe the number of articles or news items related to a vegan or vegetarian diet I see weekly.  Just astounding.  And then,  I'm no great fan of Oprah, but when even Oprah has her staff going vegan for a week, we can rest assured, we are no longer on the fringe.

We are the future.  And that's what Meatout and all veg'n activists are working for.

Take a moment to be proud.  Breathe in, breath out...

Now, get back to work and spread the word.  Network, tweet, blog, get out on the streets, get active.  DO SOMETHING.

There's a lot to be done... and lots of animals, people, & environment to protect.

 

Twitter: @solveggie

Re-post: "What to say? What to do?"

What to say? What to do?

"He was leather-skinned, taunt, and yet energetic.  Agewise, a mid 60's Vietnam Vet I met in line at a grocery store who gruffly pointed out to the lady in front of me that this was a "15 or less" items checkout line and that she was way over the limit.  She moved.  We struck up a conversation of sorts.  He'd had a bad day.  Someone had broken into his home, where there were three people on disability (him, wife, son), and stolen $400 and all his medications..."

The excerpt above is from the original post here.  Was reviewing my previous work on this blog and it touched me to read it again.  I'd forgotten that I'd written this, and the overall message, imho, is still timely.

Currently, I'm battling to get this cookbook done, have recently been let down bigtime by someone I really trusted so completely, who was helping test recipes. The situation contributed to the physical/emotional meltdowns I've had in the past week.  Not a great time, I'm depleted enough on all levels as it is.  Avoiding e-mail for over a week now, just trying to focus on the important work.  Running out of time to see this come to completion and every day, every test is critical.

The book's concept, though, is really really cool. And it's implications and potential value to the veg'n community keeps me driving forward. And I want the draft done before I announce it so that no one can beat me to the self-publication of same.  Of course it's no added fat, sugar, and salt.  But there's also a whole new twist to it all (heh heh heh....).

I'll respond to posted comments when I get the draft done, book announced.

Best to all.... Mark

"Heart Harmful Meatless Monday Recipes"

Although it's great to see "Meatless Monday" get a lot of attention, it is most distressing to me to see how fat-ladden and unhealthy so many of the recipes proclaimed "Heart Healthy" are.  Here's a bunch collected (I guess) using "Healthy Recipe Finder" and collected on Women's Health as "Meatless Monday: Valentine's Day the Vegetarian Way."  Let's take a look at the amount of fat per serving (as listed):

"French Toast with Vanilla Bourbon and Carmelized Bananas:"  17.9 grams of fat, 478 calories

"Baby Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Toasted Pistachios:"  52 grams of fat per serving, 572 calories, (16.5 grams of saturated fat per serving, more than the American Heart Association recommends for a woman PER DAY)

"Portobello Caps Stuffed with Chili Polenta and Cheese:" 9.1 grams of fat per serving

"Ravioli and Lemon Chive Sauce:" 15.7 grams of fat per serving, 8.7 grams of saturated fat (oh, and two-thirds a day's worth of sodium, according to the AHA)

"Expresso Granita:" 7 grams of fat

This "cozy" dinner for two amounts to a whopping 101.7 grams of fat per serving.  Putting this into a heart-healthy perspective, Ornish and Esselstyn (who reversed heart disease) recommend around 14 to 24 grams of fat per day.  The total for this meal, per serving, is FOUR times the high end.  Or, go conservative with the American Heart Association, recommending a range of 50 to 70 grams of fat per day, and you're around 1 1/2 times to double that amount.

Excessive sodium, extremely high fat, over a day's worth of saturated fat (hell, I didn't even bother to look at sugar per serving), and we've got an example of what's killing both women and men in this country.  Heart Disease, Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes... all are invited by meals such as this one and it's truly sad.

Just because it's meatless, doesn't mean it's healthy.  IMHO, it's a lousy way to show your love for someone by promoting an onslaught on their entire cardiovascular system.  This isn't moderation, this is suicide.  These recipes do not belong on Women's Health any more than does a bottle of Jack Daniels advertisement in an AA pamplet, and I gotta admit, rarely have I been so surprised by doing the numbers.  But, the math doesn't lie (or exaggerate).

Emeril on "Best Thing I Ever Ate" vs Michael Pollen

What a moron... white veal (tortured baby calf) fried in olive oil, covered in bread crumbs, tomato sauce, and a ton of cheese.  He's referencing heavenly choirs and angels from the taste/texture experience (which he'll probably visit real time soon).  Ironic, in that I wrote about him on this blog exactly a year ago to the day:

http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2010/02/rules-michael-pollen-vs-emeril.html

"...plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"

...still working on cookbook... Best to all, Mark

Happy Vegan Pizza Day!!

There are some pizza recipes in the vegan cookbook I'm working on.  The first two photos below are from tests last year, and the third was made last night as a "pre-celebration" of "Vegan Pizza Day" (am busy packing for a trip tonight).  Note:  each of these pizza contain NO added fat or oil, do not use store-bought "faux" vegan cheeses, and are made with original "cheese-like" sauces.  I hope to have to book available for purchase online sometime in March (sooner, if possible).  Best to all, Mark

 
All 3 photographs (and larger versions viewable by clicking on these) are ©2011 by Mark Sutton.

10 Additional Heath Benefits of Daiya Cheese

I'd been exploring Twitter & responding w/ some Tweets about the high fat content of Daiya Cheese, when the company tweeted back and said they wanted to talk to me about the health benefits of their products.  I responded, essentially, that the products were high fat, basically added oil, and nutritionally useless. What's to talk about?  Thought about this some more and decided to visit their website after a 2 yr hiatus (had blogged about them awhile back).

Keep in mind that the only two guys to reverse heart disease, Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish, with 20+ years of peer reviewed research to support their claims, recommend between 12 (or so) and 24 grams of fat per day (depending upon your caloric intake:  they prefer 10% of your calories from fat, NO added oil), I decided to be magnanimous and help provide Daiya with some additional health claims they can truthfully use.

First, what are the ingredients in Daiya Mozarella Cheese:

"Filtered water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and /or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, vegan natural flavours, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor)."

Second, here's the "health" claims on their website:

- cholesterol free

- trans fat free

- free of all animal products (vegan)

- free of common allergens including:  dairy (casein and lactose), soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts (excluding coconut)

- free of artificial ingredients

- free of hormones & antibiotics

A fine and thoughtful analysis by the Daiya team, even though a pile of rocks or leaves would easily be determined as "healthy" by the exacting criteria used above.  In the case of the leaves, maybe healthier.

It seems that the healthy benefits of Daiya Cheese are measured by what it DOES NOT CONTAIN instead of WHAT IT DOES CONTAIN, or as "compared to dairy cheese" (unless you take into account the fat, which isn't much of a difference).  One-fourth cup is 6 grams of just fat (and a slice of pizza would normally have around 1/3 cup, probably 8 grams of fat).  Have two slices of a Daiya dosed pizza and you've killed a day's worth of fat (according to Esselstyn/Ornish/Barnard/McDougall/Campbell).

Anyway, I decided to help them out.  Here's an additional 10 health claims they can add to their website for Daiya Cheese (as could many vegan cheese products) and be truly honest:

1) REDUCES HEART DISEASE POTENTIAL:  less plaque forming (which causes 90% of heart attacks) than from dairy or meat sources.  Of course, eliminating added oil totally would reduce that potential to near zero, but that's not the point.  It's LESS.

2) VERY SAFE TO EAT:  contains no glass shards which would irritate or cut-up your esophagus.

3) HUMANE:  not tested on mice, rabbits, cats, dogs, or platypus ducks.

4) EASIER DIGESTION;  contains no significant amounts of any nutrient (phytochemicals, antioxidants, micronutrients, any vitamins or minerals)... nutritionally useless means less demand on your digestive system.

5) "VEG" FRIENDLY:  suitable for pesco-vegetarians, bovo-vegetarians, swino-vegetarians, avian-vegetarians, and chitinous-vegetarians.  Flexi-vegetarian issues still being studied.

6) IMMUNITY BUILDING:  contains coconut oil, the #1 source of plant-based saturated fat, to help you build a tolerance to a substance the American Heart Association says should be limited in your diet.

7) ANALGESIC:  eliminates the emotional pain of re-calibrating your taste receptors to not crave fat and actively promotes your taste addiction to fat, thereby decreasing your stress.

8) FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS FREE:  contains no E.Coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Avian Flu, Mad Cow Disease, or Ergot Fungus (bummer).

9) CONTAINS NO REAL FOODS; which would be another demand on your digestive system.  The Pea Flour is borderline.  Glycerin (not a real food) and oils "slide through" your system, although, what is a vegan natural flavor?  However, the Xantham Gum is essentially slime, which is a real food, kinda sorta, although icky in concept. I also prefer my yeast "active."  Let the little buggers earn their keep.

10) WEIGHT-REDUCER:  does a fantastic job of making your wallet lighter & therefore less of a physical burden.

Of course, admittedly, shredded cardboard laced with coconut and olive oil would probably have a superior nutritional profile to that of Daiya Cheese, and many other vegan cheeses.  Cheaper, higher in fiber, but probably doesn't melt as well.

"Eating Animals" Quote & Dr. Martin Luther King

This is a link to my post during last year's Martin Luther King Day:

http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2010/01/eating-animals-quote-martin-luther-king-jr.html

Been on a bit of blog hiatus for personal reasons (wanting to not post some things very much on my mind I'll regret later), as well as very busy working on my cookbook & exploring social media.  Best to all, Mark

Trailer: "Dive: Living Off America's Waste"

The numbers are amazing.  96 billion lbs. of edible food tossed into landfills in this country a year. That works out to 3,000 lbs. of food per SECOND.  Sure, it's not all vegan, but it is FOOD.  The following trailer is most interesting and resonates to me in particular because of an experience I had a few weeks ago.

I was at a local Giant grocery store a few weeks ago, talking with one of the produce managers I've gotten to know over the past few years (such that he'd even ask my advice on vegetables with customers, and in return, he'd listen to me wail over personal issues).  I noticed that he was removing slightly blemished HUGE green peppers from the "sell" bins to two boxes.  He told me that people wouldn't buy them, and those two boxes of incredible green peppers were going to be thrown out.  He couldn't sell them to me, or even give them to me (would have been easy to preserve in any number of ways).  Apparently, this kind of practice is rampid in the industry and has to do with health laws, legal issues, yadda. 

In thinking about this regarding all the other produce in the huge store, I realized that there must be a tremendous amount of viable useful and edible produce being tossed into dumpsters every week.  The movie DIVE appears to address this matter directly.  Had I the discretionary time, this is a social issue I would love to tackle:  why are we throwing away all this edible food in current times of economic trauma?  It's a larger social issue that's not being addressed.  Some restaurants and stores do allow non-profits to "harvest" the throwaways, but that the biggies, WalMart, Trader Joe's, Giant, don't, is bothersome.

As consumers, most Americans are so damn conditioned to think produce must be pristine and blemish-free.  As a farmer, I know better. Give me slighty blemished freshly grown organic broccoli, tomatoes, zukes, kale... over the antiseptic artificial store-bought stuff any time. A good paring knife can do wonders.

Here's the trailer, a direct link to the website, and an interesting article about it all:

Dive! Trailer from Compeller on Vimeo.

Article: "6,000 New Salad Bars"

This is wonderful. Even though there's bound to be some meat, dairy, & fatty foods involved, it is, imho, a huge step forward. The following article (severely edited below) was a tip-off from PCRM.  Thanks, y'all!

"USDA removes major barrier to Michelle Obama’s salad-bar initiative:  First Lady Michelle Obama announced last week that a new public-private partnership, Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools, would make it possible for as many as 6,000 salad bars to be installed in U.S. school cafeterias at an estimated cost of $15 million. Contrary to what hundreds of irate commenters directed to Grist from a link by the Drudge Report feared, the salad bars will not be mandatory lunchtime eating for the nation's youngsters, not taxpayer-funded. If parents like Sarah Palin want their kids to eat cookies for lunch, no one is going to stop them..." [SOURCE]

Conan Clip: "Hunting Tofurkey"

It's short, around a minute, but funny.  Personally, I've never found Tofurkey appealing on any level.  Sure, if it helps some people adapt, go for it.  But I'd never serve it to people I care for (let alone, spend that kind of money on this product that could be used so much more effectively elsewhere):

New Mad Cowboy Newsletter Out - Msg. from Howard, & Mr. Clucky

Title: A Special Holiday Msg. from Howard, Recipes from Vegan Unplugged!, Mr. Clucky

TOC and Direct link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/94

"Howdy!  Welcome to the 71th issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

This edition features a special holiday message from Howard!  You can also learn about Mr. Clucky, Dennis Kucinich's book, how the food industry wants to change the name "high fructose syrup" (and avoid connections with a study showing how HFS feeds cancer), that a new study shows that organic strawberries not only taste better, but are better for your health.  Further on, you'll see some Monsanto backlash, an unusual study about how plants "think" with light, that there was actually a Texas Veggie Fair during the humongous Texas State Fair, more concerns about Frankenfish, and that the oldest Brit is vegetarian.

Don't miss the fine recipes from "Vegan Unplugged!" a unique survival guide and vegan cookbook, quite a few videos worth glomming in the "Vegan Digital Media Theater," how $4.2 billion is being spent to convince you to eat "fast food," and that the Tea Party wants to eliminate "Puppy Mill" legislation.  And of course, there's the obligatory "Mad Cow Info Round-Up."

... as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers:  y'all can browse/search through past issues at the Mad Cowboy Newsletter Archives at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Here's hoping everyone has a fine, warm, and enjoyable Vegan Thanksgiving with friends and family! Be patient with your non-veg relatives or associations, and set an example by being grateful for what blessings we do have and giving thanks where due.

Best regards, Mark    MC editor/webmaster

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00: A Special Holiday Message from Howard
01: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
02: Recipes from "Vegan Unplugged!" by Jon Robertson
03: Mad Cow Info Round-Up
04: HFS Feeds Cancer/Name Chg., US Avoids Vegs, $4.2 Billion
05: Study: Org. Strawbs Best, Monsanto Wins/Loses, Plants Think
06: Vegan Digital Media Theater
07: Tex Veggie Fair, Kucinich Cookbook, Oldest Brit is Veg, Quivers
08: Frankenfish, Mr. Clucky, Pam Anderson, Tea Party vs. Puppies
09: Quick Bytes
10: Closing Thoughts"

Xtreme Eating 2010 Awards: Cheezilla, Sneaky Pizza, Pestocide, +

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has put together a devastating list of "bad food" awards for 2010.  As usual, they are making a good point, and it's great to see them get some press for noting how unbelievably awful some of these foods are nutritionally:

"With two out of three adults—and one out of three children—overweight or obese, you’d think that restaurants would have some interest in keeping their patrons alive and dining out longer.

With mandatory calorie labeling on the horizon for chain restaurants, you’d think that restaurants would be dropping high-calorie items from their menus.

With close to 30 percent of young Americans too heavy to join the military, you’d think that restaurants would at least stop introducing new heavyweight items.

Nope. It’s business as usual in the restaurant industry. And that means it’s business as usual around here.  Welcome to our 2010 Xtreme Eating Awards."

Kudos to the whole CSPI team for bringing these sad issues to public concern.  Pity that these companies don't really care what they are doing to our collective health (and adding immeasurably to overall healthcare costs a few years from now).

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes (PDF) Available from Nava Atlas

These recipes are great (can be adjusted for low-fat vegans), and all proceeds are donated to good causes.  How admirable of Nava!

"Dear friends in the veg/vegan media,

Once again Thanksgiving is around the corner and I'm promoting my e-book, A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving, as a resource for an animal-free holiday and to raise money for some of my favorite organizations. This year I'm donating the profits to Women for Women, International Justice Mission, Farm Sanctuary, and Oxfam. This is the same publication as last years, with recipes by yours truly plus some of the leading veg authors and bloggers. If you wish, please share this link in your site, blog, or social media pages:

http://www.vegkitchen.com/navas-books/a-bountiful-vegan-thanksgiving/

It also gives you a peek at my newly redesigned site, which has gone from In a Vegetarian Kitchen to simply VegKitchen and is now completely vegan, with lots of new features and more to come (once we work out the inevitable glitches). Here is the e-book for you so you know what it is that you're promoting!

Thanks and enjoy your compassionate Thanksgiving!

Nava"

A great deal for a $9 download... Check it out.

"Faith-based" Nutritional Advice or "WTF?"

It's not often I see the diametrically opposed juxtiposition of a fine article, in this case, on the marketing efforts of Fast Food companies, contrasted with the author's own recipes.  Just absolutely amazing.

Here's the deal:  Kristin writes this excellent article about Fast Food Companies marketing to kids and minorities, here.  Makes sense, points out some real problems, has a lot of stats (not referenced, but consistent with what I know from past research).  Then, in the "footer" to the article is a link to her blog.  I'm thinking, "holistic nutritionist" there must be some good recipes there.

Boy, was I wrong.  The most current recipe (here) at that time was a Killer Quiche (emphasis on "killer").  A real "heart attack" waiting to happen.  Refined spelt flour, eggs, butter, whole milk, and a paltry 1 cup of chopped spinach to be spread around four servings.

How ridiculous.  I did the math.  Close to 400 calories and over 40 grams of fat per serving.  To put this into perspective, even the grossly conservative American Heart Association weighs in at no more than 80 grams of fat PER DAY.  Esselstyn and Ornish, who've prevented heart disease, weigh in at 15 to 25 grams of fat per day TOTAL.  One half the fat, per serving, that the AHA recommends per day for an adult.  She must be so proud!

So, a slice of that quiche has about as much fat as a Burger King Whopper and the same amount of calories.  What a winner!  In fact, the Whopper has more vegetables per serving then her quiche!

Refined flour, butter, whole milk, eggs, and a little tiny bit of spinach, and Kristin calls this "healthy and satisfying."

It gets worse.  In private e-mail exchange, which I won't quote here as I haven't asked permission, she points out that these are "traditional foods" and asserts that this makes them intrinsically healthy, and she never bothers to worry about the fat in her recipes.

Unbelievable.  She is essentially saying she knows more than Esselstyn, Ornish, Barnard, McDougall, Campbell and the American Heart Association.  She actually gets paid to counsel people on nutrition and feels that a vegan or vegetarian diet negatively impacts, among other things, your "reproductive capabilities."  Babe, come on over and I'll show you otherwise.

What a load of, well, crap.  What's traditional?  Drinking blood in the Latin American countries during the Mayan period?  Eating sheep intestines (haggis) in Ireland?  Possum in West Virginia?  Consumption of insects which is common in some countries?

It's just stunning to be reminded that there are people out there that actually believe drinking the raw breast milk from another species, that eating congealed pus-filled cheese, and ignoring the amount of fat in a meal is all good and "traditional."  These ignorant people are helping kill us in large numbers.  Unknowingly, with positive motive, they are promulgating absurd and scientifically unfounded myths about diet that altogether too many people, too lazy to do the research, buy into.

She has the audacity to all herself a "holistic nutritionist."  What colossal ego and overall silliness.

Oil is NOT a whole food, neither is raw milk, nor cheese, nor dead animal corpses.

Do your homework and actually help people to live longer, Kristin.  Start with science.  No wonder so many of your clients have problems with a plant-based diet.  A "faith-based diet" is about as sound as a "faith-based foreign policy" and we KNOW where that's gotten us.

Check this out:  15 reasons to avoid vegetable oils, all referenced and cited.  Ironic that your article didn't provide a single source.  Guess we're suppose to believe everything you wrote 'cause you're a "holistic nutritionist."

You are, imho, a well meaning ill-informed promoter of a diet that helps kill people earlier than necessary.  I've got the science, peer-reviewed research, and studies on my side, wadda you got?  Show me the studies that demonstrate the incredible health benefits of cheese, milk, or meat, that aren't industry funded.

Until you can show me some serious, non-industry-funded studies, that praise the anti-cancer or heart disease contribution of meat, dairy, and eggs, your advice is totally unfounded in reality.  There's no real definition of "traditional" and it's clear that the consumption of so much fat is unhealthy.  You prey on the ignorant, without realizing such.

And the bigger reality is that an epidemic number of Americans are dying from disease every year that could be prevented by eating properly.

IMHO, You are not part of the solution; you are part of the problem.  Desperate people buying into such warm and comfy phrases as "traditional foods."

How sad and unnecessary.  I apologize for my anger in this post, but, imho, people like you easily delude others into believing your non-researched nonsense, and that affects the quality of their lives.  And, you called me, in e-mail, "seriously misinformed,"  I've been called stupid, opinionated, and arrogant.  It ticks me off.  I'm NOT stupid.

It's about time we get real with this organic, holistic, raw, local, silly traditional or "paleolithic" stuff.  The underlying foundational issues are fat, sugar, and salt.  THEN the issues of organic, holistic, raw, vs. local come into play.  And just because you believe something is true, without a shred of evidence, doesn't make it so.

Lives are at stake, and the stakes are high.

 

Iron Chef America or "Barbarians at the Plate"

It's a guilty pleasure, to be sure, but I've taken to watching Food TV a little more than I used to.  Yeah, I'd listen to it sometimes while doing other things in the kitchen, but recent interpersonal emotional stress in my life has been affecting all my projects and health to varying degrees.  As such, I decided to change things up a bit, relax, and actually sit in front of a TeeVee and watch a few shows after dinner, rather than working late at my desk.  Food TV is one of my favorite weird spaces.

There's "Paula Deen the Fat Queen," who probably hasn't made a recipe with less than half a day's worth of fat and calories per serving in decades,  "Rachel 'I drink healthy happy EVOO [extra virgin olive oil] by the glassful every day' Ray," a travelogue on the unhealthiest popular food in the country ("Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dies, er, "Dives"), the husband of a couple who manages to frequently use "y'all" three times in a sentence to be folksy, and the superbly edited, often witty, occasionally nutritous, but always interesting, "Good Eats."  I could easily prattle on about other shows, but these are the ones that come to mind right now.

Yet, for comedic operatic and satirical value, "Iron Chef America" is great sport and trumped up competition. Some of these Chefs display amazing creativity (I do get ideas from them), offset only by how unhealthy most of the recipes are.  However, I do enjoy the overall silly drama:  "WHAT is he doing now?"  "I don't KNOW... could it BE a PIE?"  "What's she going to do for PROTEIN?"  "Is that, is it, is it... CUMIN?" "OMG, OMG, it's pork sushi with chocolate, arame, anchovies, saffron, and habanero!  That's NEVER been done before in the history of the UNIVERSE!"  All peppered with quick edit cuts, intense vocalizations, and manufactured tension.

Last night, the "secret ingredient" (cue the fog machine and turn the speakers to "11") was:  duck!  Obviously it was appallling, and as someone who's  taking care of 9 of these delightful creatures, I can think of few  animals that deserve less to be slaughtered (well, none, actually) and then "dressed up" for human consumption. I was revolted by one Chef using machine-generated air pressure separate the outer skin of the ducks. The process of carving of them into steaks would've made Freddy Krueger proud. That's not all. The dialogue that ensued when these culinary "creations" were served to the august panel of Judges deserves note with some examples ("slightly" paraphrased):

"Excellent use of dijon mustard, oreos, and lard, Chef, but for me, the skin of the deep fried dead animal's carcass just wasn't as crispy as I'd hoped it would be.  Perhaps, too, a bit more salt would've helped. But, using spicy toasted duck flippers like tortilla chips in your second recipe was brilliant, and yet practical."

"You are truly talented!  A fine subline artistic arrangement of cooked chunks of a hacked up slaughtered bird with vegetable strips in a superb chianti wine sauce reDUCtion." [pun intended]

"I'm just not impressed, Chef.  I expected a more robust flavor from that deceased fowl you friccasseed." (burp)  "But I do find the five different types of cut up animal corpses with grits a most interesting variation on that Southern Classic. The sprinkle of ants covered with powdered sugar was visually appealing." (belch) "You've done well."

(giggle) "I just love love love the way the boiled duck embryo, er, egg, holds up on top of a a slab of it's adult dead version on top of the mucho tasty ground up diseased bird liver. It's so so pretty!" (giggle) "I could eat this forever and ever!"

"Chef, your astounding creativity in making this lifeless nutritionally disgusting duck-based dessert is a testimony to your awesome skills.  You've scaled new heights of culinaryness and cookingosity.  I wouldn't have thought it possible." [the dessert was real]

Yeah, I sat, transfixed, until the end, both fascinated and distressed.  Then I saw the "secret ingredient" for the next episode:  pheasant.  I turned off the TeeVee.  An admittedly judgemental phrase mumbled out of my mouth at that point that summed up my thoughts about it all:

"Barbarians at the Plate."

Sure, on the surface a more civilized version of people wearing furry dead animal skins and ripping cooked body parts off a formerly living animal, but in reality, just as morally and ethically reprehensible. Yeah, there are times when we probably shouldn't be judgemental or overtly critical (or so some believe when taking the higher road) of carnivores and those that just haven't figured it out yet, it won't change their attitudes, as we might feel superior in some way and pride goeth before blah blah blah.

Nuts... I know barbarism when I see it.  Now, if the Chefs, with the Judges watching, had to capture, kill, pluck or skin, then cook said animals for the competition, I'd be more impressed, and they'd be more aware of the truth behind what they are doing.  Certainly would put a big rip in the Judge's smarmy aristocratic civilized veneer.  But then, the show's catch phrase, "who's cuisine will reign supreme?" would have to be changed to, "who's cuisine is more obscene?" That might lower ratings and upset a few human stomachs.

A reality the Food Network can't afford...

 

[With apologies to Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, who wrote "Barbarians at the Gate"]

Merging Q's: On Fat Pride & Life Quantity vs. Quality

As a member of the 'vegan crockpot' list for years, I recently got involved in a discussion of added fat in recipes.  A list member insisted that the "quality" of her life was more important than the "quantity" thereby justifying the simplistic viewpint of "once in awhile won't hurt me."   Then there was also someone proudly proclaiming that they were fat and proud of it.

This particular statement got under my skin:

"I'm with you on that! I eat plenty healthy to have to worry about my occasional unhealthy choices! LOL!"

My response ended with:

"One might "LOL" but you also invite "DOA" with that kind of perspective."

Wanting to avoid excessive OT discussion that would occur on the list if I continued, and yet desiring to get into more detail about it all, I decided to encapsulate my thoughts in a couple of quasi-satirical points with some commentary.  Here they are:

1)  I'm fat and/or significantly overweight, and proud that my inner spiritual essence still shines forth such that it obliviates my greater probability of experiencing heart disease, strokes, diabetes, Altzheimer's, and a host of other degenerative disorders.  I don't care that this physical state may have long term implications for my health and certainly affect those who love me that will delight in watching me degenerate.  Shine on!  I'm beautiful!

2)  I'm so smart that I can easily ignore the advice of Dr. Esselstyn (reversed heart disease), Dr. Ornish (reversed heart disease), Dr. Barnard (reversed diabetes), and Dr. T. Colin Campbell (largest study on human diet in history) about adopting a no added fat vegan diet.

3)  I don't mind feeding my taste addiction to fat, salt, and/or sugar, as because I'm vegan, it means I'm eating healthy.  Granted that this view ignores basic science and reality, I'm willing to go with the dietary urban myths and not by the well-founded "Moderation Kills" viewpoints of, well, Esselstyn, Ornish, Barnard, Campbell, and McDougall.

4)  I prefer several years of "quality" life through eating whatever I want to, versus the high probability of painful, expensive, disgusting means to increase my life quantity later (what's the big deal about them "cutting open your chest and putting in a pig vein to increase  your life" probability?) and all the awful ramifications of heart disease (et. al.)  that will most likely manifest.  Party now, pay later.  Roll dem bones.

5)  Hey, so what if that fatty dairy substitute (Daiya, Earth Balance, etc.) is vegan, expensive, nutritionally useless, and it gets me off of dairy?  Why should I care that it feeds my taste addiction to fat and is not only high in useless fat calories, essentially devoid of any significant nutritional value?  I'm saving animals (but not humans). Who cares if oil is not a real food and has serious health consequences?  These "15 Reasons fo Avoid Vegetable Oils," although referenced, must be completely wrong.

The emphasis on "quality of life" versus "quantity of life" via diet is quite nonsensical in concept.  This binary short term perspective essentially says that if what you consume might, in high probability, decrease your longevity, yet you get a lot more "now buzz" in what you eat, it's okay.  This narrow mindset is totally ignorant of the incredible pain, suffering, cost, and loss to society for you (and family) that dietary-related degenerative diseases involves.  It also presumes that those of us who have learned to relish a low fat, salt, and suger, vegan diet are in some way deprived.  Less "quality."

Far from it.  My taste awareness and enjoyment of eating a real natural food based diet has been just incredibly awesome.  Deprived?  Hell, it's you people who still suffer from fat, sugar, and salt addictions that are deprived.  You have no idea of what you are missing (and why it's wonderful to be missing it!).  The incredible subtleties of real food tastes are lost to those succumbed & addicted to fat, sugar, and salt.

Ideally, I endeavor to embrace every nano-second.  Quality and Quantity combined.  Of course if there's a need to "pull the plug," my goal is to have avoided the plug in the first place.

I think it's the perspective that somehow, by avoiding added oil in a vegan diet, we are depriving ourselves of "quality" that is mistakingly assumed by added fat vegans.  Having followed a no-added fat vegan diet for near three years, I can affirm that the "quality" of my life is astounding.  I relish and take great pleasure in the taste sensations I enjoin that aren't fat, sugar, or salt related.  I'm healthy, vigorous, and active.  That's quality (and, probably quantity).  Bonus points for taking care of my cariodvascular system.

Vegans need to open their eyes to dietary realities.  If you continue the same fat, salt, and sugar addictions that carnivores suffer from, then you still have a high probability of experiencing the same diseases that these addictions promote.  It's NOT just the meat or dairy.  Reducing the probability is cool, but eliminating it rocks. 

Exhalted vegan dessert recipes that have, per serving, more sugar than the American Heart Association recommends PER DAY do us no justice and from a health perspective, are a travesty.  The focus that "HEY!! It's VEGAN" is myopic in ignoring that, "HEY!! It's REALLY unhealthy."  Yeah, I care about the animals, but I care about humans more.

And we can't ignore that added oil/fat is not a real food.  Like it or not, that's reality.  It's really not an "either or" decision.  You can embrace both "quantity and quality of life" at the same time   It takes a little discpline and concerted effort, but after all, didn't going vegan to begin with require the same?

The issue is NOT "quality versus quantity" of life.  It's actually combining both.  And you can do this with a no-added fat vegan diet.

It's proven, and that simple.  Merge the "Q's."

OT: Good Causes, the Battle, & Loving the Imperfect

I've been taking some serious flack from someone's who's opinion means a lot to me over my gamble to focus on my cookbook and not pursue other contracts or full-time work.  I admit that the stress of the past six months has been extraordinary, largely from external events of which I had no control, and that it has probably cost me a relationship that meant the world to me.  Despite this all, I found myself awakening this morning with re-invigorated determination that I'll find a way.  The book's concept is too cool and unique (as echoed by a well-known veg'n bookbook author who I've been discussing it with for two years), and I've got to do it.

While making tea in the kitchen I happened to listen to an interview on TeeVee about a play on Broadway about Vince Lombardi that's been getting much notice.  A little research led to the following two quotes that relate somewhat to how I feel, and may be helpful to many of you out there advancing your own causes or endeavoring to evolve and sustain a relationship:

"The extraordinary question Lombardi posed that day was this: “What is the meaning of love?”  Yes. What is the meaning of love?

He was serious. There was a method to his madness. He explained: “Anybody can love something that is beautiful or smart or agile. But you will never know love until you can love something that isn’t beautiful, isn’t bright, or isn’t glamorous. . . . Can you accept someone for his inabilities?”

Now keep in mind, this was Lombardi, the leonine coach who also made famous the statement: "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."

According to Skoronski, the great coach then proceeded to connect the dots. Lombardi explained to the players that any of them may not regard any particular teammate as equally talented or equally capable. But a loving commitment to the team and to all the teammates would enable a better player to help a lesser player."  [source]

------------  and the following fine quote:

"I don't say these things because I believe in the ‘brute’ nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious."  --- Vince Lombardi [source]

...time to get back to work...

 

 

Review/Recipe: "Vegan Unplugged: A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide"

" What?? You're not worried about food spoiling in your refrigerator?"  I can still see and hear the surprise in my former neighbor's voice when, after three days of no power from a ice storm-induced blackout, she'd come over to chat and was quite shocked that for me it was no big thing.  "I'm vegan," I told her.  Since there was no dairy, eggs, or meat in my refrigerator, worse-case scenario, I might have some vegetables or fruit going bad, certainly not enough to cause me any illness, though.  I don't have to treat my kitchen like a biological warfare laboratory.

I smiled when recalling this after reading through the latest book from Jon and Robin Robertson, "Vegan Unplugged:  A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide."  Even more ironic was receiving the book for review just before Hurricane Earl was preparing to take a sideswipe at the Outer Banks and Virginia Beach, which was the same kind of event that prompted the Robertsons to not only eventually re-locate from that area, but write a book about what they learned from the experience. 

This is NOT just a cookbook.  It is a comprehensive, well-documented and researched survival guide on what to do in the even of a disaster that forces you to "Shelter-in-Place" (SIP) as the government puts it.  You must live off your larder and may not have any electricity and/or running water.  If you haven't stocked up or planned for such an event, it won't be easy.  To help you plan in advance, Jon has put together, in one book, quite the array of advice and resources.  From a "Five Day Menu Box" that costs around $70 to assemble and would feed four people for 5 days without electricity. to a detailed pantry list, how to handle water issues, ideas for cooking food without electricity, an Emergency Preparedness Guide, Animal Survival Planning, and even a full section on "How to Handle the Stress"  this book is more than just clever and useful vegan recipes.  It's a tremendous centralized source of how to prepare for and manage most emergency situations.

Not to ignore the recipes though... as usual, Robin's creativity (and wit) shines throughout this array of tasty "Pantry Cuisine" concepts.  Laugh at adversity with "Shiitake Happens Mushroom Soup," give a finger to a Hurricane with "Last Resort Lasagna," challenge a power outage with "Texas Twister Caviar," thumb your nose at a snowstorm with "Ginger-Walnut Rum Balls," spin a little "Thaiphoon Tofu Stir-Fry" and take control with bowl of "Emergency Gazpacho."  Recipes not needing heat are also listed separately, and again, there's much advice on tools for heating food without electricity.

"Vegan Unplugged" is an outstanding contribution not only to the vegan community, but to people of any dietary preference as a methodical and meticulous guide to survival.  This unique book from "Vegan Heritage Press" raises the bar, not only in terms of the practical recipes, but also in the comprehensiveness of the survival advice.  Way to go, Jon (and Robin).  I was touched, too, by the last two sentences of the book, which I've excerpted below.  It's this kind of desire to serve and help others that is pervasive in all the Robertson's works.  Quite inspiring...

"Hurricane Isabel had given us another benefit, because it led to this book --- a humble volume writte by people who figured out a way to maximize comfort and eat impossibly good vegan meals after circumstances had rendered us powerless.  We herewith pass this wisdom on to you."

Here's a link to Jon's "Vegan Unplugged" Blog (with recipes and preparedness tips), and to Vegan Heritage Press.

"Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce and Walnuts"

"Pasta tossed with creamy sage-infused sauce sprinkled with walnuts is good enough to make you forget this is Pantry Cuisine.  If water is at a premium, scratch the angel hair past in favor of pouring a small amount of boiling water over a few ramen noodle bricks (drain and proceed with recipe)."

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vegetable broth base

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

12 ounces angel hair pasta or cappelini

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Method:

1. In a sacepan, combine the pumpkin, water, broth base, sage, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Cook over medium heat until smooth and hot.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If the sauce is too thick, add a little water.  Set aside.

2.  Cool, the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain and return to the pot.  Add the reserved sauce and toss to combine.  Serve sprinkled with the walnuts.

Makes 4 servings.

(The above recipe ©2010 by Jon Robertson)

Article/Research: "Food Addictions to Fat, Sugar, and Salt"

An excellent post for validating theories of biological addictions to fat, sugar, and salt. Although years behind Dr. Barnard on the topic, it's still a good summary article of issues and related related research.  An excerpt:

"Here are some of the scientific findings confirming that food can, indeed, be addictive(ii):

1. Sugar stimulates the brain's reward centers through the neurotransmitter dopamine, exactly like other addictive drugs.
2. Brain imagining (PET scans) shows that high-sugar and high-fat foods work just like heroin, opium, or morphine in the brain.(iii)
3. Brain imaging (PET scans) shows that obese people and drug addicts have lower numbers of dopamine receptors, making them more likely to crave things that boost dopamine.
4. Foods high in fat and sweets stimulate the release of the body's own opioids (chemicals like morphine) in the brain.
5. Drugs we use to block the brain's receptors for heroin and morphine (naltrexone) also reduce the consumption and preference for sweet, high-fat foods in both normal weight and obese binge eaters.
6. People (and rats) develop a tolerance to sugar -- they need more and more of the substance to satisfy themselves -- just like they do for drugs of abuse like alcohol or heroin.
7. Obese individuals continue to eat large amounts of unhealthy foods despite severe social and personal negative consequences, just like addicts or alcoholics.
8. Animals and humans experience "withdrawal" when suddenly cut off from sugar, just like addicts detoxifying from drugs.
9. Just like drugs, after an initial period of "enjoyment" of the food, the user no longer consumes them to get high but to feel normal."

You can read the full article here.  Worth a glom.  I can testify to kicking the addiction to all three.  It can be done, just takes time, willpower, and determination.  But, reducing the probability of any number of diseases and disorders is well worth the effort.

VIDEO: "PCRM'S New Anti-McDonald's Commercial - "Consequences""

It's certainly controversial, and rightly so, but I think it's a fair, 30 second shot, at a company that is killing a lot of people through their unhealthy food, contributions to polluting the environment (be it trash or support of Factory Farming), and is even fighting to keep toys with "Happy Meals," knowing full well that if you hook'm young, you'll get them for life (albeit, a shortened one).

Here's a link to the PCRM page where it's also posted with some information.  And apparently, many people in South Florida won't be able to see it.  Nice work, PCRM. Over a million views on YouTube already.

Article: Dr T. Colin Campbell: "Low-fat Diets are Grossly Misrepresented"

It's great to see Dr. Campbell write a more mainstream and less technical article about the incredible benefits of a no added fat vegan diet.  Less enjoyable are the many ignorant comment flames from people who blindly think moderation works (it doesn't, ask Dr. McDougall or Dr. Esselstyn), and of course, then there are those who believe eating dead animals is good for you.

Here are some excerpts that I particularly like:

"...More serious, however, is the effect that this mythology has had on suppressing information on the extraordinary health value of diets that are truly low in fat (10-12 percent). I am referring to a whole foods, plant-based diet that avoids added fat and processed and animal-based foods. This diet contains about 10-12 percent fat, sometimes pejoratively referred to as "extremely low fat". Call it what you will, but this diet (also low in total protein, about 8-10 percent) produces, by comparison, "extremely low" incidences of sickness and disease. In fact, it now has been shown not just to prevent these illnesses but to treat them. Importantly, this dietary lifestyle cannot be dismissed by the mythological argument that so-called low fat diets have been proven to be questionable..."

"...It is time that we seriously consider the health benefits of a whole food, plant based diet, which is naturally low in total fat, animal-based protein, and refined carbohydrates but rich in antioxidants and complex carbohydrates. The health benefits that are now being reported for this dietary lifestyle are unmatched in scope and magnitude of effect. It is time to discard the gibberish about low fat diets being responsible for the obesity epidemic. This demonizing of low fat diets does not apply to whole food plant-based diets, even lower in fat, because this dietary lifestyle really works. Just try it, but stay with it long enough to allow your body to overcome your taste preferences for fat that arise from its addictive nature."

As the guy in charge of the largest study on diet in history, "The China Study," he's not someone that vegans who consume added oil should summarily dismiss.  Add his view to the two guys who've reversed heart disease with a no-added fat vegan diet (Esselstyn, Ornish), Barnard (reversed Type II Diabetes), and McDougall's work, and it's amazing to me that many veg'ns just don't get it.  Do you really think you know more than these guys?

Anyway, oil is not a real food, it damages your endothelium immediately, and you're better off losing your taste addiction to fat (as well as sugar and salt).  Maybe Chef "fat is flavor" Tal and other "celebrated vegan chefs" that everyone is crowing about should pay attention. It's not compassionate or humane to provide such unhealthy vegan meals and claim they are "good for you."  Heart disease, among other disorders invited by added fat, isn't pretty... or inevitable.

You can read the full article here.  Nice work, Doc!

Video Review: "Chow Down," Heart Disease, & Blockage Bob

"Chow Down" is the story of three people, who when faced with heart disease, decide to follow Dr. Esselstyn's advice and follow a no-added fat vegan diet.  Uplifting, with insightful commentaries from Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. T. Colin Campbell (among other experts), this DVD also includes some clever explanatory animations. 

"...CHOW DOWN exposes the three factors that fatally impact our country’s health: the medical community’s allegiance to the status quo, the government’s allegiance to the food industry, and Americans’ allegiance to cheap, convenient food." [from the "Chow Down" website with a trailer]

Emotionally and intellectually convincing, with a lot of disturbing statistics, the authors and producers of "Chow Down" should be praised for taking on a hard topic and pulling few punches.  The medical establishment has been inept in ignoring the solution to what they have not been able to do:  reverse heart disease via a no-added fat vegan diet, as Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn have proven through, collectively, 40+ years of peer-reviewed research.

The problem is a serious one:

"Estimates for the year 2006 are that 81,100,000 people in the United States have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD)"  [Source:  American Heart Association]

Here's a fun embedded animation from the DVD (also available at the website here) on "Blockage Bill" and what really causes most strokes, dispelling a common myth.

It's also worth noting that Dr. Esselstyn believes that it is added [not a real food anyway] oil or fat, that fuels development of these smaller plaques and the potentially devastating consequences:

"...Every forkful [or spoonful] of fat [or oil], he [Esselstyn] says, causes an immediate biochemical assault on the endothelium, the lining of the arteries. White blood cells collect there, gobbling up bad cholesterol and creating fatty deposits over time. For many people, especially those who smoke or have other risk factors, accumulation of plaque is a time bomb for a coronary event..." [Excerpt Source]

Everyone needs to be aware of the truth, not only why we are dying in epidemic numbers by various degenerative diseases, but how we can prevent, stop, and reverse that process. This fine DVD is a very big step forward in getting the word out.  Kudos to "Peanut Butter Productions" for all their hard work.  Lives will be saved by your efforts, and you have every right to be proud.

Vegan Cupcakes to Die From

"Meatless Mondays" is a great concept, but it's really disappointing to see a recipe promoted for this event that is just plain awful, and the young female chef is promoted as having done something really good (e.g., mainstream recognition).  But, I did the math.  It ain't pretty.  Here's the link to the recipe:

http://meatoutmondays.org/emails/10-09-27.htm

Okay, 5 cups of sugar is 3870 calories and around 1000 grams of sugar.  1 cup of coconut is 552 calories and 57 gms of fat.  1/2 cup of vegetable oil is 900 claories and 100 grams of PURE fat.  1/2 cup of coconut oil is 900 calories, 100 grams of fat, 94% of that SATURATED fat.

Strawberries, refined flour, chocolote, and immense amount of sugar and pure fat.  What does that work out per serving?

FAT:  over 20 grams  (Esselstyn/Ornish daily recommendation, 14 to 24, Feds, 30 grams)

SUGAR:  over 80 grams per serving.  (American Heart Association recommendation for adult woman PER DAY, is around 24 grams of sugar)

CALORIES:  around 500.  A third to a fourth of what most people need PER DAY.

Is this recipe really worth promoting as vegan?  It has an entire day's worth of fat per serving, a ton of saturated fat, and over three times the recommended sugar per day for a woman, somewhere around twice for a full grown adult man.  PER SERVING.  By conservative American Heart Association recommendations, it's bad for your heart on TWO counts:  sugar and fat.  By those who've reversed heart disease through diet, it's even worse.

IMHO, FARM should be embarassed to promote this recipe at all.  Just because it's vegan, doesn't mean it's healthy.  This is the kind of fat and sugar-ladden quasi-food products that are killing people on a massive scale in this country.  Doesn't matter that it's vegan.  It's toxic. Nutritionally a waste of time and it caters to fat/sugar taste addictions.

Furthermore, it's a travesty to the tasty, antioxident rich strawberries.  Do they really need to wrapped in fat, flour, and sugar to be savored?

Chef Chloe, just like "fat is flavor Chef Tal" deserves no praise for creating and promoting such intrinsically unhealthy food mixtures under the "but it's vegan" conceptual umbrella.  This is, well, crap.  You may save an animal, but you will certainly contribute to the higher probability of killing a human prematurely from any number of chronic disorders.

Apparently, FARM doesn't care.  In their zeal to protect the animals, they seem to have forgotten that, SURPRISE! humans are animal, too.  And recipes like those of Chloe and Tal are deadly... to human animals.  These Chefs should be admonished for promoting such unhealthy food mixtures instead of using their celebrity status to spread the word about truly health low-fat vegan meals.

We're sometimes like people who've just had a breakup and are so excited that anyone would be interested in us that we lower our standards and will go out with anyone who is even close to the former.  We get so excited that "a young pretty vegan chef is getting recognized on cable" that we forget, it's not just "vegan."  It's what's healthy vegan that matters.  We don't need to be that desperate.  Over 500,000 people die from heart disease each year in this country, and the research of Esselstyn and Ornish clearly shows it's the added fat that is a primary cause.

Sugar, non-food fat, flour, and a handful of strawberries, just isn't all that impressive as a recipe. I admire FARM's goals to promote vegan food, but let's get real and promote healthy vegan food.  It's not the 60s.  We know how to reverse Type II diabetes and heart disease:  no-added fat vegan food.  Promoting anything else in the vegan realm is hypocrisy... or ignorance.

Video Clip: Colbert vs. PETA vs. Joe Biden

This was a quick and witty bit by Stephen Colbert regarding PETA's concern about Joe Biden giving US soldiers hot dogs.  Satirical in nature, it actually supports PETA if you, well, "read between the lines."

Update: "Milk in 2009 Contained Less Pus Than 2008 Milk"

It was realizing the amount of pus cells allowed in milk (concentrated in cheese) that was the foundation of my vegan tipping point.  Once again, Robert Cohen has written about this issue in current context.  Here's his latest post, with a link to the full post here.  Vegetarians who consume dairy products may ignore the animal cruelty and environmental issues, but the health issue herein is somewhat inarguable.  You WILL be consuming cow pus cells if you drink milk or eat cheese.  That's a fact.  Thank you, Robert.

"Milk in 2009 Contained Less Pus Than 2008 Milk

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently released the dairy industry's latest national pus figures. This has got to be great news for those milk drinkers who recoil at the mention of pus in milk.

In 2008, the average liter of milk sold in America contained 247 million pus cells.

In 2009, the average liter of milk sold in America contained only 227 million pus cells.

Rejoice!

Since there are 33.8 ounces of milk in one liter, the average ounce contains just 7,307,692 pus cells. That translates into 87,692,397 pus cells in an average 12-ounce glass of milk. Yummm.

Ten pounds of milk are required to produce one pound of hard cheese. Twelve pounds of milk are required to manufacture one pound of ice cream. Pus can be rather tasty when either sugar or various bacterial cultures are added to fermenting milk. As for the number of pus cells in cheese or ice cream treats, you do the math. I've got to go take a vomit break....

Milk clearly has become less disgusting. Please wake me when the pus cell count gets to zero.

Question for milk drinkers: If you were told that your next glass of ice cold pure white milk contains 88 disgusting pus cells, would you go ahead and drink it anyway? The truth is that the actual amount of pus in that glass is one-million times greater! Bon appetit!"

Book Review & Recipe: "Vegan on the Cheap"

The "octomom" of vegan cookbook writing has totally demolished the myth of vegan food being more expensive than conventional alternatives with an amazing new cookbook, "Vegan on the Cheap," that really is, as claimed on the back cover, "The ultimate vegan budget cookbook --- easy recipes for delicious food that costs no more than $2 per serving [note a considerable number of them are are around 50 cents per serving]!"  150 recipes...wow.  Take that morning news and cable cooking shows, who beam with pride of four servings of really lousy food for a total of $10 to $30.

In this latest masterpiece of creativity (she just keeps getting better and better), Robin Robertson isn't resting on her laurels just putting out recipes.  Nope, she provides a wealth of ideas and suggestions, on everything from saving money and time, stocking your kitchen, shopping and preparation tips, making your own convenience foods (plus meat analogs), and even breaks down many store-bought products in a cost comparison chart. 

This isn't to minimize the high value of her recipes.  Even the seasoned vegan cook will learn some new strategies from this book.  Envision a rich "Great Northern Apple Cake" using Northern Beans (< $.50 per serving), put your money down on a "Pepperoni-Mushroom Pizza" (< $1.00 per serving, AND with a "Great Stick Pepperoni" recipe), then invest in the "Tropic of Tempeh" (< $2.00 per serving), and finally, check out the CASHew flow of "Blushing Alfredo Fettuccine" (<$1.50 per serving).

One can't add it up any other way, and there's no accounting for missing this great addition to vegan cuisine.  With "Vegan on the Cheap," Robin has provided a one-stop shopping experience of resources (offline and online), methods, basics, the stats, and the recipes for anyone wishing to maximize the use of their time and money.  However, she isn't a miser (!) and occasionally offers ideas for "splurging" once in awhile, eating at restaurants, and comprehensively noting what you shouldn't "skimp on."

Too often the phrase "on the cheap" is misinterpreted with negative connotations, when in fact, the actual definition is "at minimum expense."  Given the current state of our economy, this book's solid approach to inexpensive vegan food is not only a blessing to those who are on hard times, but also for the animals, your health, and our environment.  A truly innovative guide that desires a place in your cookbook portfolio.

CHEAPAMOLE
(makes about 3 cups, < 50 cents per serving)

"...As a bonus to being cheaper than regular guacamole, this version also contains less fat and more protein. ."

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 cup cooked or canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and black pepper

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, peas, beans, and chilesand blend until smooth.

2. Add the lime juice, oil, and cumin and blend until well combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the onion and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

This tastes best if used on the same day that it is made. Use it as a dip for chips or cut vegetables or any way you would use regular guacamole.

[Note: this recipe is © 2010, by Robin Robertson.

[Visit Robin's blog & website for more recipes, info, and purchasing her books (disclaimer: I designed Robin's global vegan kitchen website):
http://veganplanet.blogspot.com/
http://www.globalvegankitchen.com/

Video Clip: Stephen Colbert Interviews President of the American Meat Institute

Just unbeliveably hilarious and spot on.  He really nails the Pres. on several topics and it's a true joy to watch.

FYI, Mark

Video "Mockumentary:" The Majestic Plastic Bag

A four minute stunning parody of a BBC nature film: the plastic bag as a successful organism, accompanied by serious "English-accented" voice, describing it's life cycle.  The video is for a really important activist cause in California, and it's points are made in a very sly and clever fashion.  Enjoy!

Video Clip: "Pork or Parents?" (Daily Show)

A very funny, yet telling, video clip about a muslim woman wanting to adopt some children but who is rejected because she won't allow pork, "the most anthropormorphic of meats," in her home.  Four minutes of clever writing/editing:

Pork or Parents

Great Interview with Rip Esselstyn (re: Daiya Cheese, too)

Excerpt:

"Roseann: What about Daiya? Have you had it?

Rip: I have, I’ve definitely tried it. If I’m not mistaken, it’s 70% fat; it’s loaded with canola oil. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve not been eating cheese for so long that even though it’s not dairy per se, to me it tastes just like cheese, and I find it revolting.

Roseann: I have to say, when it first came out, I was addicted. I was eating so much of it, I think I just bottomed out. It was definitely nice to have a meltable “cheese” again, but it does feel almost as heavy and clogging as actual cheese.

Rip: Exactly."

[Note:  full interview from above here, and know that Daiya has more fat grams than whole milk mozzerella, here. Mad Cowboy Interview with Rip, Mad Cowboy Interview with his father).

Video: "Animal Nation" by Peter Gabriel

"INTELLIGENT LIFE IS ALL AROUND US... incredible... what a wonderful chorus to this marvelous Peter Gabriel song.  Nails our relationship with other animal species.  And, it's not just mammals... recent research shows much more plant intelligence than previously expected.  Even from slime molds.

Enjoy... I'm overworked with the cookbook and other projects, but maybe this post will testify that that I'm still alive.  Best to all, Mark

Video Clip: Thought For Food - Cereal, Foot-Long Cheeseburger & Ecobot III

Another hilarious "Thought for Food" Colbert Video Clip.  A fine find while "on the road."  More attentive blogs posts will commence in a few days, but for now, enjoy this outlandish satirical genius.  About 5 minutes in length.

Thought For Food - Cereal, Foot-Long Cheeseburger & Ecobot III

70th Issue of MadCowboy Newsletter Available

Here's the INTRO, TOC, and a direct link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/93

----

Howdy!  Welcome to the 70th issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

In this issue we've a 1 hour video of Howard lecturing in Washington back in January 2010, and some articles/opinions about the recent debate Howard participated in on the topic:  "Can You Be An Environmentalist and Eat Meat?"  There's also some vegan recipes from the world's most prolific vegan cookbook author, Robin Robertson, and her latest achievement:  "Vegan on the Cheap."

Further on down there's our "Mad Cow Info Round-Up," an article on why you might not want to use Agave Syrup, how "school lunches" are a National Security Threat, and a fine essay about the growing "Food Movement."  In honor of VegNew's 10th Anniversary, there's a link to a Mad Cowboy Interivew with the VegNews Editor "way back when," and onward some interesting advice/please from the UN regarding diet and agroecology.  You'll also read about the President's Panel recommendations on Cancer and the Environment, find some fine things (don't miss the Esselstyn/Campbell team-up in "Forks Over Knives") to watch and listen to in the "Vegan Digital Media Theater," learn how PETA is taking on BP, and much more.  And don't miss the return of our "Quick Bytes" resources section!

... as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers:  y'all can browse past issues at the Mad Cowboy Newsletter Archives at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Here's hoping everyone stays cool for the summer and that a bountiful harvest from your home gardens is just now hitting its stride!

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00: Howard in the Media of Note
01: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
02: Recipes from "Vegan on the Cheap" by Robin Robertson
03: Mad Cow Info Round-Up
04: Agave Bad, Lunch Threat, Fatal Junk Food, Food Movement
05: VegNews Interview, 5-Day Clean-out, Vegan Athlete Award
06: UN & Vegan Diet/Agroecology, Dead Zone, POTUS Panel & Cancer
07: Vegan Digital Media Theater
08: PETA vs. BP,  Unappetising McTruth, Disturbing Dairy
09: Quick Bytes
10: Closing Thoughts