SoulVeggie

New Green Menu Takes No Ingredients from Nature

Taco Bell's New Green Menu Takes No Ingredients From Nature

["Today Now" goes green... could easily be the truth (and some of the listed ingredients are in food-like products some vegan bloggers actually recommend!).  Ironic too, the emphasis upon how important the "taste" of these laboratory-based substances are, regardless of content.  Check out the "Ultimate Crunchadore..."  and that through recycling, "You'll actually be "eating the garbage you produce.""

Penultimate satire... so close to the truth as to be almost indistinguishable from the reality of what food-like products companies produce, and what the vast number of people (vegan and non-vegan) will eat... all for taste and convenience, regardless of nutritional value or health impact.  Devastatingly funny.

With thanks to Zenpawn for blogging about this hilarious video.]

Low-Calorie Diet May Extend Life in Primates

"A long-awaited study of aging in rhesus monkeys suggests, with some reservations, that people could in principle fend off the usual diseases of old age and considerably extend their life span by following a special diet.  Known as caloric restriction, the diet has all the normal healthy ingredients but contains 30 percent fewer calories than usual. Mice kept on such a diet from birth have long been known to live up to 40 percent longer than comparison mice fed normally.

Would the same be true in people? More than 20 years ago, two studies of rhesus monkeys were begun to see if primates responded to caloric restriction the same way that rodents did. Since rhesus monkeys live an average of 27 years and a maximum of 40, these are experiments that require patience.

The results from one of the two studies, conducted by a team led by Ricki J. Colman and Richard Weindruch at the University of Wisconsin, were reported on Thursday in Science. The researchers say that now, 20 years after the experiment began, the monkeys are showing many beneficial signs of caloric resistance, including significantly less diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease. “These data demonstrate that caloric restriction slows aging in a primate species,” they conclude."

[Full article here and below.  Yet another reason to go low-fat vegan, and also avoid such nutritional absurdities (see last post) as organic 300 calorie high-saturated fat vegan chocolate bars, vegan recipes with cups of coconut milk, cups of oil, with really fatty faux cheeses or fake mayo.  Get with it, people.  Master your addictions to taste and live longer.  You gave up meat, dairy, and eggs... don't stop now... finish the race to real health.]

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NADD - Nutritional Attention Deficit Disorder

Here's a post from a vegan blogger criticizing a SoyJoy Bar as having too much saturated fat (3.5 grams, 6 grams of total fat) for one serving.  Normally, I'd praise this insightful conclusion.  Here's an excerpt:

"Soy is Joy. I applaud SoyJoy's plight to bring high quality whole ground soy bean to the mass markets of people. But there is a lot of confusion and propaganda from their marketing. I will bet a lot of people eat these bars thinking, wow I'm being so healthy right now. But 3.5 grams of saturated fat from one tiny bar is not so healthy. "

However, a few weeks later, she's promoting Newman's Organic chocolate bars, and the vegan version that "tastes so good" weighs in at, yup, 16 grams of saturated fat (28 grams of fat total, almost FIVE times that of the SoyJoy Bar) a single serving:

"For the most health benefits, go with the 70% Super Dark Chocolate flavor. Super Dark ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (organic chocolate liquor*, organic evaporated cane juice, organic cocoa butter*, soy lecithin [an emulsifier], organic vanilla). Bars are around 300 calories. When it comes to chocolate, this is some of the good stuff."

WFT? If you ask me, possible signs of "nutritional attention deficit disorder".  Contrast 28 grams of fat (and 330 calories) in a single serving chocolate bar with the 14 to 20 grams of fat per day TOTAL recommended by Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish (the only people to successfully reverse heart disease, and Dr. Neals Barnard (has reveresed diabetes through low-fat vegan diet).

Guess a bigger more unhealthy high chocolate bar with really minimal nutritional value at all & a helluva lot of saturated fat (but it tastes good!!) from a company that's donated a lot of money to charities (but not enough to cover the health care costs of eating their products), is better than any tiny more nutritious one. 

Personally, I find this kind of dietary casuistry upsetting, and further evidence that one should take anything this blogger writes about with a pillar of salt.  She appears to play a bit fast'n'free with the term "health."

ADDENDUM:  after posting the above, a friend pointed out that I cited a study awhile back about chocolate and its impact on cardiovascular health.  There have been other studies about chocolate and blood vessel inflammation, I haven't spent much time on that issue.  However, the dangers to the heart from saturated fat and the ability of a low-fat vegan diet to reverse (and in theory) prevent heart disease have involved a considerable amount more people (and age ranges) and twenty years of peer-reviewed research from two independent researchers.  Furthermore, as I noted in the other post, the impact of added fat to the elasticity of your arteries has been measured many times, and I seriously doubt that the chocolate in the bar mentioned above would cancel out both the total fat and saturated fat issues.  I consider a chocolate bar, as the ingredients described above, still essentially devoid of useful nutrition.  A lot of sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter, and taste stuff.  Hardly a whole food, just a sweet food-like product that feeds an addiction to sweets.

Researchers Find Possible Environmental Causes For Alzheimer's, Diabetes

"A new study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have found a substantial link between increased levels of nitrates in our environment and food, with increased deaths from diseases, including Alzheimer's, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (Volume 17:3 July 2009).

Led by Suzanne de la Monte, MD, MPH, of Rhode Island Hospital, researchers studied the trends in mortality rates due to diseases that are associated with aging, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease, as well as HIV. They found strong parallels between age adjusted increases in death rate from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and diabetes and the progressive increases in human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines through processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers. Other diseases including HIV-AIDS, cerebrovascular disease, and leukemia did not exhibit those trends. De la Monte and the authors propose that the increase in exposure plays a critical role in the cause, development and effects of the pandemic of these insulin-resistant diseases.

De la Monte, who is also a professor of pathology and lab medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, says, "We have become a 'nitrosamine generation.' In essence, we have moved to a diet that is rich in amines and nitrates, which lead to increased nitrosamine production. We receive increased exposure through the abundant use of nitrate-containing fertilizers for agriculture." She continues, "Not only do we consume them in processed foods, but they get into our food supply by leeching from the soil and contaminating water supplies used for crop irrigation, food processing and drinking."

Nitrites and nitrates belong to a class of chemical compounds that have been found to be harmful to humans and animals. More than 90 percent of these compounds that have been tested have been determined to be carcinogenic in various organs. They are found in many food products, including fried bacon, cured meats and cheese products as well as beer and water. Exposure also occurs through manufacturing and processing of rubber and latex products, as well as fertilizers, pesticides and cosmetics..."

"...The authors state that the time course of the increased prevalence rates of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes cannot be explained on the basis of gene mutations. They instead mirror the classical trends of exposure-related disease. Because nitrosamines produce biochemical changes within cells and tissues, it is conceivable that chronic exposure to low levels of nitrites and nitrosamines through processed foods, water and fertilizers is responsible for the current epidemics of these diseases and the increasing mortality rates associated with them..."

[Full article here and below.  Note:  (1) I remember all too well being dressed down by the head of the FDA (Kennedy) during the Carter Administration for suggesting that we had a big problem with nitrosamines in our food back in the late 1970s, at a Washington DC Town Meeting (I was interning), and (2) I'm still having to "peck" out words from hand injury... will address overdue COMMENTS responses later this week (I hope).  FYI, Mark]

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Da Geese in Da Hood

Here's some photos of three gooslings brought up to "da Farm" last week for a preview of where they'll be living in the near future.  These are "Pilgrim Geese" and are an absolute delight in their inquisitiveness, chatter, incredible eyesight, energy, and joi de vivre.  They been raised to bond with humans and are manical in their attempts to follow any "bonded" human around.

I'm behind in many activities (including responding to comments) due to recovering from an unfortunate altercation with a old storm window and my left hand (middle finger).  It's getting better now (no pain), but typing is still a "hunt'n'peck" process. Quite frustrating.  Thanks for your collective patience.

But, in the interim, enjoy Da Geese! (all photos @2009 by Mark Sutton)

Best to all, Mark

Latest Issue of Mad Cowboy Newsletter Now Available

Title:  06_23_09:  Rip's Recipes, Ask a Vegan, & Largest Red Meat Study.

Direct link to online issue.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/87

Howdy!  Welcome to the 66th issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

In this issue we're delighted to provide a preview of our upcoming interview with the amazing vegan firefighter/author, Rip Esselstyn, in the form of two of his favorite recipes.  Rip's the son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and has built upon his father's remarkable research via some very practical and easy-to-do ways in his diet/exercise/lifestyle book, "The Engine 2 Diet."

Moving on further, we'll note a study indicating that fish oil doesn't help your heart via Omega-3, some new finds about the benefits of broccoli, results of the largest study of red meat eaters in history, and more indications that high-fat food inflames your circulatory system.  You'll learn about the "Ask a Vegan" booth in New York, some vegan survival tips, resources for learning about animal rights/issues, and the consequences off going veg for just one day.

Continuing in this edition, we've got some gourmet viewing experiences in our Vegan Digital Theater, some details stats and studies showing that our industry-produced produce is definitely less nutritious than it used to be, some great links about the White House Garden (including remarks by Michelle last week during the first major harvest), and a list of 8 ways to eat locally...  some new resource links have been added to "Quick Bytes" and don't miss some of the articles during the "Mad Cow Info Round-Up."

... as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers:  y'all can browse past issues at the Mad Cowboy Newsletter Archives.

Best wishes for this start of a new summer and may your gardens be bountiful, healthy, and inspiring!

Mark, MC editor/webmaster

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: A Mad Cowboy Invite to AR2009
02: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
03: Recipes from "The Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn
04: Mad Cow Info Round-Up
05: Fish Oil No Help, Brocc Talk, Largest Meat Study, Fat Inflames
06: Ask a Vegan, Vegan Survival Tips, Learning AR, 1 Day Veg
07: Vegan Digital Theater
08: Food Less Healthy, White House Veggies,  8 Ways to go Local
09: Quick Bytes
10: Closing Thoughts

Love Dad? Don't Serve Him This Dad's Shortcake

I enjoy Vegan Dad's unbelievable creativity, and often healthy recipes, so it's a real disappointment to read this one.  Not only is it a disservice to cardiovascular systems everywhere, it was put into that newsletter by a well (and usually deservedly so) respected and tireless activist organization, FARM, as part of their "Meatless Mondays" campaign.

Here's the math on the recipe linked above:  5 tbls. of Earth Balance is  60 grams of PURE 100% NON FOOD FAT.  Trader Joe's Soy Creamer, at the amount suggested, is 18 grams of fat.  That's 78 grams of FAT total coupled with sugar, flour, and fruit.

In perspective, assuming 4 servings for the recipe, that's over 19 grams of FAT per serving.  The guys who reversed and prevented heart disease, Ornish and Esselstyn, and Barnard (who reversed Type II diabetes), recommend no more than 14 to 20 grams of fat PER DAY.  The Feds:  60 grams of fat per day.  At 6 servings, the recipe is still plain awful from a heart healthy perspective. Even the somewhat conservative American Heart Association would be concerned about the amount of saturated fat in this recipe (120% of daily recommended assuming 4 servings), and that's really unfortunate.

Considering the rate of heart disease (strokes/attacks) preponderant in fathers over 45 years old, this recipe is an insult.  This is an extremely high fat dessert, who's nutritional value is diluted by refined flour, sugar, and a helluva lot of FAT (highly processed, nutritionally useless, non-food goop).

Put the blueberries in a bowl, and if you must, add some soy milk and a pinch of sweetner.  Then you can match your actions with the words:  "I love you, Dad" and really mean it.

A heart healthy diet would not include this shortcake.  The last time I noted an excessively fatty recipe posted in the newsletter I was told me that it still encouraged people to go vegan and save more animals from dying as food.  So it was "okay."

But, at what human cost?  Did this approach forget that we're animals too, and dying in large numbers by heart disease linked to excessive consumption of fat?  I wonder if in the zeal to "save the animals," via (still unhealthy) vegan foods, and meals, some people miss that caring about animals means caring about people, too.  And yes, I've promoted Vegan Dad's cookbook in a newsletter.  It's a fine piece of work (the book).  But, this newsletter editor might have provided a healthier recipe from Vegan Dad's book.

I did, and it wasn't difficult.

Videos: "Eat It" and "Fat"

"Eat It" (non-embeddable video is HERE)


"Fat" (non-embeddable is HERE)

Nutritional Wrap Rap Claptrap

Can't believe the nutritional claptrap posted recently on a "vegan" blog.  The latest, concerning Jamba Juice Wraps, says the following:

"Greens and Grains Vegan Wrap at Jamba Juice. The most interesting wrap addition is the 100% vegan wrap. It has 640 calories, 14g fat, 9g fiber and 19g protein. It contains healthy ingredients like protein rich quinoa, refreshing jicama, tahini, chickpeas and a lot more-all crammed into this healthy wrap. It's a lot of calories, and the sodium content isn't listed. But I'll still do a taste test soon. Sounds very interesting. Oh, and it's all on a spinach tortilla wrap-nice."

How insightful!  She doesn't know the sodium content, what's in it (most of the ingredients I've seen in spinach tortillas aren't pronounceable), acknowledges it's a lot of calories, fails to note that the wrap contains a full day's worth of FAT (maybe from the "a lot more-all crammed into" analysis) via Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, etc., or the upper part of a third of a day's worth of fat grams (Feds recommendations), and calls it a healthy wrap.  And of course, the most important reviewing criteria is taste...

Gawd, what a discriminating "vegan."  I truly hope that most of the people reading her blog recognize the absurdity in such insipid proclamations.  I can live with the fact that she has the budget to indulge in "sangria" recipes calling for ridiculously expensive wines:

"I like to think that I am the Queen of premium sangria. It is a myth that sangria only needs the cheapest of wines and the crummiest of fruit. I am famous for using up to $25-$40 bottles of wine to...make sangria

But, IMHO, anyone putting a $40 bottle of wine into a bowl of fruit and juice, instead of drinking it straight up, is, please excuse me people, famous for being astoundingly wasteful, indulgent, and misguided in thinking it will enhance the taste of said sangria. Yeah, let's "dilute" the complex and subtle nuances of a high-end wine with fruit and juice. Akin to using a $40 bottle of Burgundy to make a tomato sauce for pasta.  But then it does explain the overall validity of information from the blog.  In the Eco-Atkins post (gawd, the misinterpreted nutritional info herein would be another major post) a big deal is made about being a healthy vegan.  A  vegan high protein Atkins-style diet is healthy.  Then the following:

"I was re-assured that I would never again eat meat and that a vegan diet was the healthiest and happiest diet choice for my body and my heart."

Yet she continues to promote very high fat (oil-based) and saturated fat (e.g., coconut oil based) recipes and products, when such ingredients have been proven to promote heart disease,and she affirms that eating dead fish is healthy.  She's also written that she's going to try the "non-vegan" meat-based Jamba products to see if they "pass her test" as she has carnivorous family, friends, and clients.  What's the exacting test?  Taste?  How shallow.  She's even pre-decided that these dead corpse meals "look pretty healthy."  WTF?

This was a difficult post for me.  I injured my left hand two weeks ago and, although it's recovering, felt so agitated by her posts that I had to weigh in and type this post with one hand.  Call it "one hand clapping" on the claptrap continually promoted with such an, admittedly, admirably happy and healthy attitude (and there have been a few good recipes), that generally belies the fact that she often appears to not know what the hell she's talking about when it comes to basic nutrition. What bugs me is that so many people will believe what she writes as she does it with such positive emotion, energy, and vigor.  What's lacking is discrimination and research.

IMHO, these kinds of posts are a disservice to the vegan community, and promotes a propagation of nutritional myths that we'll be paying for, for years.  Useless high-priced flavored bottle waters, expensive foreign food ingredients, dietary myopia, continued silly processed "super food"  pronouncements... That she means well is no excuse, even as ignorance isn't either anymore.

Indeed, the Internet is a mixed blessing.  Bloggers can fast track the claptrap, or you can be in the know by being slow, and doing your homework.  It's a major lifestyle and long term health choice.  Please make the right one.  Oil is not a food, and high-fat foods kill.  Them's the facts, Jack.  Do the research and don't believe everything you read on ANY blog without cites to back up nutritional claims.

Including, I might add, this one.

-----> Addendum a few hours later:  in retrospect, using the word "idiot" in my original post regarding the sangria was way too harsh and unfair.  I truly like the blogger's energies and goals, and apologize for using that term.  It was uncalled for and has been replaced with a more accurate and less flippant phrasing of my thoughts.

Steven Colbert: "Eric Schlosser is a Food Nazi"

"You wanna sit me down and force-feed me kale."  Steven Colbert's statement after calling Eric Schlosser a "food nazi."  This was last night, a day after my previous post, and Schlosser is the writer of "Fast Food Nation," and involved with the new documentary, "Food, Inc.," on where your food comes from, food-borne illness, factory farming , re-arranging corn, your power as a consumer, and more...  This sub-7 minute video clip interview below is wonderful, and will be available until 30 days from now (07/02/09)... enjoy it will you can.  The linked website has a trailer and lots of useful information.

A Food Nazi Recommends "Go Max Go"

I just read a blog review of "Go Max Go" vegan candy bars and it was most inspiring.  I had a rather testy e-mail interaction with one of the company officers weeks ago about the issue of them being "pushers" of an addictive, essentially nutritionally useless product (was called a 'food nazi') and it's just damn wonderful that they have finally gotten around to posting the nutritional breakdown of their products on their website.

Now, before looking into what's actually IN these wonderful vegan candy bars raved about by the vegan blogger, let's keep in mind two stats:  (1) 14 to 20 grams of fat PER DAY is roughly what Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard, etc., recommend to stave off heart disease, diabetes, etc.,  and (2) the Feds (with Corporate encouragement), recommend no more than 60 grams of fat per day, total.

Here's some numbers on their four listed products:

Jokerz:  15 grams of fat per 1 serving bar (a full day to a little over a third day's worth of fat, depending upon who you want to trust)

Twilight:  9 grams of fat per 1 serving (1/2 a day's worth of FAT to over 1/6th)

Buccanneer:  7 grams of fat per 1 serving (around 1/2 a day's worth of fat to 1/9th)

Mahalo:  19 grams of fat per serving (a full day's worth of fat or around 1/3 day's worth of fat)

All four products contain palm oil, one of the oils most extremely high in saturated fat content which has been clearly proven to be bad for your cardiovascular system (only worse one is coconut oil).

"The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute warned that the "high content of saturated fat... found in... palm kernel oil, palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter" puts people at risk for heart attack or stroke."  Source.

Well, that's just fraking fantastic!  Obviously, if you need a "wholesome" and "organic" fat and sugary vegan nutritionally useless food product alternative to a non-vegan fat and sugar ladden nutritionally useless food product, AND want to continue feeding your addiction to sugar and fat, as well as increase your chances for developing heart disease or stroke from added fat and type of fat,  it's clear that "Go Max Go" products are for you.  Highly recommended.

But then, I've not tasted them, and apparently that puts me at odds with many vegan blog product reviewers.  The fact that the nutritional profile of these products is so awful, suffices to tell me that I don't need to.  My tongue doesn't rule my diet (other parts of my life, well....).  I refuse to be a slave to taste and texture over nutritional quality.  Form doesn't rule essence.

So, get real.  Taste and/or texture doesn't matter.  It's what's IN the food you consume that does.  Stop feeding your addictions under the guise "oh, it's vegan... therefore it's gotta be good."  Do a little bit of research on what's IN the crap you're promoting (bloggers) and recognize the consequences of what you consume.  There's a difference between being a healthy vegan and a non-healthy vegan.  Fat, sugar, and salt, are key variables in that equation.  To ignore the impact of excessive amounts of any of these ingredients in your diet is to risk your long-term health... be you vegan or not.

And that's the truth.

Addendum:  06/03/09 - 1254 est - that "Mahalo Bar" contains 80% of the total recommended saturated fat per day by the Feds (which is way too high as a recommendation, anyway, due to Corporate influence.).

...and, from the "Go Max Go"  website;  "What we didn't want in our candy bars was dairy, eggs, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial ingredients, or cholesterol."

How incredibly noble... forget about the overall fat content and that all your products contain high levels of saturated heart-disease causing fat.  After all, it's vegan... and although most of the ingredients, technically, are NOT real food, hide behind this fact by issuing this mindless statement and the addicts will believe your hype, buy your products.

But then, after all, in the final analysis, you really are fat/sugar pushers...

Addendum:  06/03/09 - 1830 est - regarding the ol' "once and awhile won't hurt" red herring.  Here's a post with link to a recent study that shows otherwise.  You can have low cholesterol, exercise, be of proper weight, and STILL it's the added fat that can cause that stroke.

Video: Bill Maher/Michael Pollen & Food Production

Don't know how long this will be available... a discussion with Animal Rights supporter humorist Bill Maher and "food expert" Michael Pollen.  Pollen appears to have grown a bit more aware this past year and it's a fine conversation.  Twinkies, evil in the grocery store, and more.  Enjoy!

Nutritional Drivel Advisory (NDA)

"But Erin proclaimed on the MS [Martha Stewart] show that coconut oil is fabulous because it is stored in your body in a way that is not fat, but energy to use. Now I don't know the exact truth about coconut oil. But I do have a lot of faith in Erin. So I will wholeheartedly embrace her recipes and the delicious vegan gluten-free ingredients she uses in them...

Here are the Top 5 Babycakes NYC Must-Have Secret Ingredients .....Not in Your Cabinet (Most Likely).....  1. Coconut Oil.  One of her favorites. She says it is high in omega-3 fatty acids as well as lauric acids which allows the coconut oil to be stored as energy and not fat. Used in many many many of her recipes."

I haven't been posted much recently due to travel and that this is the most intense period in the season for a serious gardener. However, reading the above excerpt from a recent post from the "Healthy, Happy, Life" blog, caused me to, in effect, put aside the shovel and deal with what was being shoveled online.

Aside from the absolute absurdity that coconut oil is somehow stored "differently" then any other fat, the facts that there are many less fatty means of getting Omega-3 (from real foods; oil is not a real food), and "Erin" nor the blogger provide ANY cite or reference to support these ridiculous statements, what we can know very quickly (through a web search), is the following:

- Coconut oil contains more saturated fat than any other oil.  It is 90% pure saturated fat. The American Heart Association, and other serious groups,  have made their position on saturated fat quite clear.  Here's a study that measured the ingesting of coconut oil reducing blood flow in your arteries and interferes with the anti-inflammatory ability of HDL cholesterol.  Note:  this is based on physical measurements, not aggregate statistics.

- From the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute:  "Saturated fat raises your LDL-cholesterol level more than anything else in the diet."

- 1 cup of coconut oil contains 218 grams of fat, or, if you will, over 13 grams of fat (120 calories) per tablespoon.  1920 calories in that one cup of coconut oil.  Wanna bet that any given recipe by Erin using her favorite oil contains at least 1/4 cup (460 calories, 52 grams of fat)?

- "Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories:"  American Heart Association. 

- The guys (Ornish and Esselstyn) who've independently reversed heart disease suggest "no-added fat" in your vegan diet and no more than 14 to 20 grams of fat "from real food" per day.

In effect, the post is parroting what someone said on the Martha Stewart Show and apparently the blogger doesn't have the basic initiative to (a) question the validity or source of the information and (b) before posting, at least doing a little bit of research.  It's consistent with an "I heart the food nutrient of the day attitude" no matter what it's cost when purchased in a processed vegan product, no matter who makes the undocumented claim, or whether any of the health assertions are valid.  Without realizing it, this attitude wholeheartedly contributes to the propagation of nutritional myths within the vegan community, often promotes so-called "nutritious food" that isn't either nutritious or food, and is lazy, at best, in not doing basic nutritional research.  ("I do have a lot of faith in Erin")...

Unfortunately, the consequences of such a "faith-based" approach to nutrition and health could be serious for a true heart healthy life.

Then there's "must-have" secret ingredient (5).  It's "very important."  Xantham gum.  Gotta keep the baked goods sticky and together:

"Xanthomonas campestris is a bacterial species which causes a variety of plant diseases... in a purified form, it is used in the commercial production of a high molecular weight polysaccharide, xanthan gum, that is an efficient viscosifier of water and that has many important uses, especially in the food industry.'  Source.

Remember, there's NO panacea, no wonder food product or micro-nutrient that comes in a package, jar, bottle, or box that can't be cheaper, more effective, safer, and better for you when consumed from the original source.  Buying juices for antioxidants, fatty faux cheeses for melting, power bars for "protein," and bottled water for "today's cool obscure nutrient, electrolytes or pico-juice sample from a foreign country" is at best misguided, and at worst, a real waste of money.  Nature doesn't provide "real food" as a goopy fat-ladden ooze, congealed "Teese," or titrated in a plastic bottle with boiled juice or extracts.  IMHO, people promoting these "non-foods" as healthy aren't helping anyone, and just contribute to the confusion that Michael Pollen aptly notes.

Although at odds with some of Michael Pollen's ideas (many of which I do like), I just love his pointing out that apparently humans are the only animal that has to be told what to eat.  Maybe the truth is that humans are the only animal that believes too much in what others say (or post) to eat rather than figuring it out for themselves. 

The only "must-have secret" about coconut oil, from a scientific and health standpoint, is that it is one of the absolute worst oils one could consume, period... and it's NOT even real food.  It's a heart killer in both the amount and type of fat.  That's the reality-based truth, and it's nutritional drivel to claim otherwise.

Side note:  but, at least "Babycakes" is honest about the high levels of fat and non-food stuff in their products.  My favorite is the 23 grams of fat  and 63% of the Fed-recommended saturated fat per day per serving in the "Healthy Ho."  Healthy?  You'll find it towards the bottom of this web page.  Trust Erin?  Well, she cites a 42 year old study to justify using coconut oil (ignoring the well-documented high fat and high saturated fat issues).  Take that,  American Heart Association!  Ho ho ho...

Awww... they're so damn cute...

Yours truly has been out-of-pocket for several days critter-sitting for close friends.  What's dat mean?  Well, making sure that 10 little runner ducks, 3 bantam chicks, 5 huge roosters, 7 hens, 4 cats, Momma Chickie and little chickie, and an amazing Collie (Kara) are well-tended too while the human parents/kids are off to college graduation ceremonies.  Oh, and there's the 4 HUGE geese eggs that needed periodic turning in the incubator (kind of a very very very slow crockpot)...  delightful chaos!

But, mid-May is "action time" around here... new plots to be dug, plots to be re-vitalized, and tons of plants that have been started under lights and now hardened outside are begging to be put into the ground.  May/June is a serious period for the hard-core gardener in this zone.  So, back home, still decompressing and dealing with said plant kingdom activities, I decided to dispense with the recently usual fat/salt/sugar screeds/rants/wails (don't think I missed the 1/2 cup of tamari in a 4 serving vegan soup recipe... arrggghhhh... sodium saturation), and post 4 of the over 300 pix/videos of the baby runner ducks ("peepers") and other life forms I shot and have yet to process/post.

Looking at these critters warms even my sardonic heart these days.  May they invite a smile to yours, too! 

(Click on each to get a large full-sized version in a pop-up window.  You may need to re-enable "pop-ups" on some browsers.  Here's a video I posted on YouTube of 30-day old Runner Ducks a few years ago... some of the comments are quite funny)

  All 4 pictures (small and large) ©2009 by SoulVeggie  Please do NOT use or pass around (especially that first photo(!) without appropriate attribution, i.e., this webpage.

Running the Dietary Race

Dad's going to become a cyborg today.  A battery-powered device will be merged with his body to keep his heart rate from dropping too low (he's been having fainting spells).  They refer to this surgery as a "procedure."  How Orwellian... It accompanies the satins for cholesterol, his being borderline diabetic, and having high blood pressure.  The "experts" believe diet is not a key factor.  Yet, a low-fat low-salt diet is recommended for those suffering from bradycardia.

This frustrates me to no end.  Because of the prevailing reductionistic mindset, believing everything can be broken up into bit'n'pieces and studied/treated individually instead of as a "whole system," the "experts" are doing nothing more then extending life a bit and treating symptoms --- totally ignoring the actual causes.  Yet, Esselstyn and Ornish have proven you can reverse heart disease through a low-fat vegan diet, without drugs and machines.  In denial, the aforementioned pros explain: people don't have the discipline and we don't make the same megabucks.

There's personal irony. This Mother's Day (to the day) is the anniversary of my Mom dying of breast cancer.  I was 14 years old.  It led directly to my quest to find out what might have caused her death and studying diet, health, nutrition, what's in our food, and eventually coming to the conclusion that going veg'n was one answer to avoiding these disorders.

The other answer was realizing that added fat, sugar, and salt, whether you are vegetarian or vegan, still contributes to developing many life-defying diseases.  Aghast, I read daily recipe posts from vegans using such nutritional abominations as "1 cup of Earth Balance (fat fat fat)," or "2 cups of Veganaise (soy and fat)," or "1 cup of sugar (btw: those "wonderful" vegan marshmellows are basically corn syrup and sugar), " or "1 cup <insert product name> of faux cheese (soy and fat)," or "1/4 cup of reduced sodium tamari (2,800 mg sodium, well over a day's worth... yet how many veg'ns liberally soak their food with it, whether in a marinade, a dressing, or a stir-fry?)"

In my younger years, I could eat a box of light bulbs, down a case of beer with 2 large pizzas, make love all night, then run a marathon the next day.  In my later years, that diet would make me ill and unable to run the marathon...  But, to actually run life's BIG marathon successfuly means that we can't dietarily "sprint full tilt bozo" the first third, then expect the last two-thirds to be illness-free and that our bodies haven't been damaged by earlier abuses.  That's a reality most won't accept.  Being vegan isn't enough to protect you.

As McDougall has noted:  "Moderation kills." ...and sustains your taste cravings.  As such, we MUST to learn to fuel life's race properly with our diet, eating whole foods (oil, sugar, syrup, and sodium, are NOT whole foods), and avoid feeding taste addictions that, in the final analysis, can lead to what's happened to Dad:  he didn't pace himself, and now he needs technology to do it for him.

Wow, it's Tubular, man...

Just read a blog post about a vegan "Ham Tube", providing such insightful and useful product review information as "people on Twitter said it's the best thing since sliced bread" and "...it has a slightly sweet flavor with a wonderful texture that is extremely versatile."  Curious as to what's in this faux-meat cylinder (May Wah) with such twit endorsement, I found the following:

"Ingredients: textured soybean protein, canola oil, vegetarian spice, salt, soy sauce, edible coloring red #40(a vegan coloring)

Serving Size: 1/10 piece (100g)
Calories: 231
Total Fat: 10.9g
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 980mg
Total Carb: 14.3g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 18.8g
Sugars: 1g"

Yummy! Instead of dead pig, oil, salt, flavorings, and food coloring, we get textured soybean protein, oil, salt, flavorings and "edible" food coloring.  Exchanging one addiction for essentially the same (oh, but then it's vegan... it MUST be good, and no animals were harmed).  Also, check out those numbers.  That one slice (serving) contains about half what Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn would recommend per day of total fat, 1/6th the Feds.  Furthermore;  an equal amount of extra lean ham is 107 calories and 3 grams of fat.  May Wah (aka, "tubular fat") has near 2.5 times the calories and over THREE TIMES THE FAT of extra lean ham.  "Tubby or not tubby?" that is the question....

And while we assault our cardiovascular system, let's make it a one-two punch:  the amount of salt/sodium in that ONE serving (might fit on a large cracker and wouldn't even make a full sandwich) is about half of the total daily salt recommended by the American Heart Association (and about the same as in said extra lean ham).

Reality check: at a cost $9.25 (not counting shipping) for 2 lbs. of the "tube o' fat," you could, instead, purchase 9 pounds of lentils and most other legumes, 6 lbs. of tofu, 5 lbs. or so of tempeh, or enough wheat gluten to make probably 6 lbs. or thereabouts of seitan.

So, for $9+ we're getting a small amount of a grossly expensive source of "protein" in the form of a processed very high fat, very high sodium, and relatively nutritionally useless product.  Why?  Because some people miss the taste/texture of dead pigs (oh, excuse me, "spices-flavors-injected ham") and this versatile fat-delivery vehicle in a tube is the "best thing since sliced bread"

Heavy....

Ultimately Decadent Means

Found out last night that my father's going to be "merged" with a pacemaker and it pisses me off.  The years of eating high-fat, salt, sugar, and non-vegan food have caught up with this still physically vigorous former test pilot.  It's hard to convey the depths of frustration, concern, and anger the situation wells up within me, especially since I firmly believe in the 20+ years of independent peer-reviewed research by Drs.  Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn that indicate it's the added oil/fat in your diet that is the greatest facilitator of heart disease (whether or not you exercise), and that heart disease can be reversed (and in theory, prevented) through a no-added fat vegan diet.

To his credit, over the past two years since I interviewed Dr. Esselstyn and Dad read his book, he's tried, but like an struggling alcoholic, he still "cheats."  The salmon, the fried tortilla chips,  cheese, desserts, and so on.  The  non-vegan and vegan addictive taste for added fat, salt, and sugar is deadly.

Yes... vegans too, need to recognize that we can kill ourselves as easily as the carnivores through the same.  Ninety percent of the strokes that kill all of us, regardless of cholesterol levels, physical fitness, and the appearance of health, come from plaque forming in our blood vessels.  Added oil/fat is the fuel and fire for that plaque.  (Here are 15 documented reasons to avoid added vegetable fat.)  I've followed Essy's advice since that interview and have totally re-calibrated my fat receptors such that I no longer crave or care about added fat/oil.

In the thrall of insomnia as I write this, I just saw a new recipe from one of my favorite vegan blogs (Vegan Dad).  He posted his "Ultimate Pecan Sticky Buns" recipe.  Here's the fat math from the recipe:

1.5 cups (soy) margarine:  264 grams of fat (24 tablespoons of pure added fat)
1.5 cups pecans:  117 grams of fat

At 12 servings (not counting the 1 cup of soy milk & yogurt), we get:  30 or so grams of fat PER SERVING if you include the nuts.

Ornish/Esselstyn recommendations:  14 to 20 grams of fat PER DAY, max
Federal Government recommendations:  60 to 65 grams of fat PER DAY, max

One "Ultimate Pecan Sticky Bun" contains over 1.5 times worth of recommended total daily fat (Ornish/Esselstyn) or around 1/2 daily recommended fat by the Feds.  Refined flour, processed goo (the none-whole-food oil), and sugar.  Oh, there's some soy milk, rum, orange zest, spices and nuts involved.  Healthy?  Not even close.

How ironic that Vegan Dad is so proud that his recipe has fueled so many activists that have helped his admirable social activist efforts.  How very ironic, too, is his initial description of the recipe (as though an excuse for this nutritional monstrosity):

"These babies are truly decadent and will surely add inches to your hips, thighs, and buttocks just by looking at them."

Perhaps, then, it would be advisable to not "look at them."

But seriously... IMHO, it's not the size of one's ass one that should be worried about when eating one of these "babies."  It's the integrity and longevity of your heart and circulatory system.  Then consider My Dad's condition, and realize that the sooner you rid yourself of your unhealthy taste addictions, the better.  One's ultimate end comes primarily from the decadent means... and it's not funny.

Beano: Naturally Not

Although I've never used "Beano," today's NotMilk Column (by Robert Cohen) provided a real surprise about what's in this product often used by veg'ns to "reduce" gaseous output from legume consumption.  Personally, I've found that periodic input of fresh healthy raw salads (and accompanying vegetables) is sufficient to do the same thing, though many people decided "Beano's" best for them.

However, what's not well-known is that Beano is NOT vegetarian nor vegan.  The gelatin it contains is fish-based and there's other ingredients that just don't seem advisable to ingest:

"Alpha-Galactosidase Enzyme (aspergillus niger) 300 Gaiu, Cellulose Gel, Mannitol, Invertase, Potato Starch, Magnesium Stearate, Gelatin, Colloidal Silica."

Yummy!  And get this, that list of ingredients is from the online store, "Mother Nature."  "Beano" is written up as a "natural enzyme."  Indeed, the Beano Website claims it is a "natural food enzyme."  Let's see:

• Gelatin (from fish)
• Mannitol ("an osmoticdiuretic agent and a weak renalvasodilator."  Man, that just reads "tasty!")
• Magnesium Stearate ("When produced by soap and hard water, magnesium and calcium stearate both form a white solid insoluble in water, and are collectively known as "soap scum".)
• Aspergillus Niger ("... is a fungus and one of the most common species of the genus Aspergillus. It causes a disease called black mold on certain fruits and vegetables such as grapes, onions, and peanuts, and is a common contaminant of food.")
• Invertase ("...is a sucrase enzyme.")
• Colloidal Silica ("... are suspensions of fine amorphous, nonporous, and typically spherical silica particles in a liquid phase.")
• Cellulose Gel (essentially a "fat replacer.")

So what can we learn from the above exercise?  Maybe that companies claiming their product is "natural" are implying a "wholesomeness" that isn't real regarding their product, that we would be naiive to believe such marketing claims without a little research, and that Beano, far from being a "natural enzyme," is actually a laboratory-produced chemical concoction of whose ultimate effect on our body I doubt we truly understand.

Please think about this when buying highly-processed so-called "natural" vegan products.  Read the labels to see what the ingredients are, and ask yourself, "do I really want to put this into my body?"

Naturally, not.

"Planting Faith"

My earliest memory of encountering the mysterious way life originates from apparently lifeless seed was when I was 4 years old.  Having since worked on an Organic Farm after working for NASA on two satellite missions, I still find myself amazed at nature and the process of growing plants.  At that Farm we specialized in "micro-greens," sprouted greens and vegetables for the high-end chefs in the Washintgon DC/VA/MD area.  It was an incredible experience to watch them arise in the greenhouse.

But, even now, I can clearly remember the youthful fascination that gawking at four carrot seeds in a corked small vial of water sprouting long white tails spawned within me.  Years later, as an adult,with immense glee I once turned a wet bar into a "sprouting bar," taking great delight in sprouting beans, grains, vegetables, and grasses.  I was continually amazed at the sudden burst of life and micro-nutrient density that seeming spontaneously occur.  Also noted, with irony, was that there is NO scientific test that would enable one to determine in advance, which seed, which bean, which dry object would manifest life.  I just LOVE pointing that out to scientists.  Reduces the general hubris they tend to accumulate over time.

See, you just don't know.  You can't know.  You have no choice but to believe that given the right conditions, your efforts will facilitate the coaxing of life from the seemingly dead.  Life arises from the soil via the seeds, strives towards the sun (phototaxis), and with faith and care, will grow strong, nutritious, and be viable to then contribute to our own lives and physical enrichment/survival.  What a noble sacrifice!

In managing an extensive vegetable (and to lesser degree of management, flower) garden, I often find  reminders of these same philosophical concepts.  We can do it correctly and proper "by the book:"  the soil, the water, the species, the weeding.... and still, life may or may not emerge, and may or may not continue to "fruition."  The weather may not accommodate, invasive weeds prove their superiority, insects may decide to take their turn, and small mammals may think it's a buffet table set out for their enjoyment and feast.  I don't know how farmers stay sane with the inexactitude of what they do season after season after season.

Anyway, today, after carefully sprouting parsnip seeds between two paper towels for weeks (see photo above, click on to see larger version in another window), and they finally sprouted a few days ago (had read that germination was iffy with this vegetable), I spent hours preparing a bed for them to rest in and grow.  Will take over a 120+ days before they can be harvested.   I also put three types of carrot seed in a 75 foot plot (having done the digging yesterday, adding mushroom compost today).   The carrot seeds were not sprouted in advance, so there's no way to predict whether all that physical effort and time will produce a bounty of carrots to enjoy in a few months.  A roll of the dice.  A "crap shoot" of sorts.

Did I spend the afternoon planting seeds?  Well, maybe... from one level of awareness... but perhaps, in a more descriptive, all-inclusive and metaphysical way, what we really do when we choose to work with the plant kingdom is better described as engaging in and "planting faith."  "Faith" that the plants will come to life, and that perhaps we are putting a little hope energy into the ground at the same time.

Way cool.

Bird Flu: Virus of Our Own Hatching - Dr. Greger Interview

Two years ago I interviewed Dr. Greger about his new book "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching."  Recent human outbreaks of swine flu in Mexico (and cases in the US), make him seem somewhat prescient in many of his views on the devastating potential for a real global pandemic in the near future.  From the introduction to the interview:

"The transcribed interview is in two parts. Among many topics, Part One discusses the history of bird flu, the 1918 pandemic & implications, the lethality of H5N1, origins & potential consequences of a pandemic, factory farming, and issues of transmission and protection. Part Two examines "crying wolf," food safety, defensive strategies for food poisoning and bird flu, the website, the book, going vegan, food production and global issues, some personal questions, and what he'd do as Public Health Czar."

You can read the full interview (with embedded links) here.  The Mad Cowboy Newsletter Special Avian Flu edition with additional related resources here.

"No act of modern warfare, with the possible exception of a nuclear exchange between major world powers, has the potential to threaten as many lives and cause as much disruption to the global economy as the H5N1 avian influenza would if it makes the evolutionary leap that allows it to spread among humans as quickly and as lethally as it has among birds."

--- Stephen Flynn, Homeland Security Expert, from here.

"Fish is Healthy" & Dietary Enabling

A vegan blogger, with a several hundred Twits following, in posting recipes for non-vegan relatives asserted today that "Fish is Healthy."  WTF?  Suggesting sliced dead animal parts and cheese for sandwiches as part of showing love to non-vegan relatives I can live with (barely, I could write pages about this), but how can someone make that statement about fish?  The problems with fish, from solely a health standpoint, as noted by a number of articles and studies by researchers, are readily apparent when you consider, minimally, pesticides and environmental pollution.  Takes nothing but a quick "web search" to learn a few things of import.

So, here's a link to an article by Dr. McDougall that does an excellent job of summarizing the issues regarding fish.  It's a good read and lays it all out in detail.  Fish is not healthy nor advisable for human consumption for many reasons.  My post awhile back on "Pescavegetarianism" provides more.

But, I do take real offense to a vegan posting that "fish is healthy," because I fear that altogether too many people who believe too much in the veracity of posts on that blog might actually, without a little research or thinking, buy into another erroneous "wellness, healthy and happy" nutritional pronouncement (especially coming from a vegan).  This is more significant than the usual overstatements posted as the statement lends credence to a major dietary myth.

In general, I believe that we, as bloggers, have a real responsibility to provide accurate information that can be checked by any of our readers, not mindlessly parrot generalities and urban or marketing myths we read elsewhere.  That way, our readers can make intelligent choices.  I'm astounded at the amount of nutritional BS that's being posted on so many food-related blogs with no real substantiation. Issues regarding what we put into our bodies, imho, demand more accountability, especially if we are claiming certain "nutritional attributes" to any given product or food. 

The focus of many bloggers primarily on taste to the exclusion of what's inside the stuff being reviewed or promoted, is biologically myopic... drops those who do so onto the same perceptual level as them who claim that "Milk Does A Body Good" and agree with McDonald's, "I'm Loving It."  Ponder the following:  if we didn't think beyond taste or silly corporate health hype to begin with, and do some research to figure out the truth, we wouldn't be vegans, would we?  Should we stop questioning what we are told or read just because the blogger is "vegan" or a company says it's "natural"?

Finally, as a personal, situational "what works for me" side note:  dietary enabling isn't necessarily love and understanding.  I've been more effective by impressing relatives with tasty healthy VEGAN food as a matter of course and example (that I've researched as being healthy), and not waffling or appearing insincere in my beliefs by serving them something I intrinsically believe might negatively effect their health, and/or life.  They can get that elsewhere if they need it.  I won't be the pusher.

...and that's "lovin' them."

Free lunches, Antioxidants, & "Wonder Juice du Jour"

POM Wonderful, LLC recently offered to mail me a free box of POM juice-related products for review on my blog.  I wasn't planning to blog the story, but after reading a POM review this morning by another blogger, I thought I'd write about my very different way to approach the same situation.

First, I did a little research online.  8 oz of POM juice costs around $4.99 in some high-end venues, has the equivalent of 34 grams of sugar (1 teaspoon of sugar is 15 grams), 430 grams of potassium (a banana has 560 gms.), and not much else... not even Vitamin C.

The juice is praised by its makers for having "antioxidants," but I knew that there were many other sources of antioxidants found in the fruit and vegetable kingdom, and a little more research showed that pomegranates didn't even make the "USDA's Top 20" list (here and more interesting info,  here and here).

Then, onwards to find out what Dr. McDougall has to say about juices:  here's an article of note.  Essentially, he's pointing out that you'd do better with fresh fruits and not the intense sugar effects of juices, that a lot of other natural benefits won't be in the juice, and that no large mega-doses of antioxidants really deal with or correct the true sources/problems/ravages of the Standard American Diet anyway.

Finally, (me again), the juice is flash pasteurized (heated to a temperatures between 160 and 165 degrees F for 15 to 30 seconds).  That juice is now just filtered cooked fruit.  But think about it:  what might have been lost or "devitalized" in that process nutritionally? 

So, my final thoughts were: 

(1) would I want that much sugar hitting my system that fast? no...(try "Stash's" excellent Pomegranate Raspberry Green Tea, instead... $3 will get you 18 tea bags for 144 oz. of tea)

(2) for the same cost I could purchase much more in terms of healthy antioxidants by spending the same amount on whole fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes (#1, 3, and 4 on the list!), etc.

(3) I can get more potassium from a single banana (at $.59/lb.)

(4) in the case of say, Acai juice (another "wonder juice du jour," and surprisingly high in fat, btw) there might be "free trade issues," don't know about pomegranates, and

(5) for the same price I could juice two pints of blueberries or strawberries, if I really want juice, and know that it's raw, still teeming with enzymes, fiber (should I chose so), and those myriad of gifted ingredients that promote and protect life.

But, $4.99 for cooked fruit juice in an 8 oz. bottle?  Nahhh.... even though it might taste "gud," I can't recommend it economically or nutritionally and be honest (cute bottle though).  So, I politely turned down POM Wonderful's offer.  Not all that "wonderful."

...and maybe there really is no such thing as a free lunch(!)

True Love, First Bite, & a Vegan "Grand Slam"

I've been considering doing a weekly "Hall of Shame" Vegan Recipe Award of sorts.  Y'know, giving due recognition to a so-called "healthy" vegan recipe posted any given week by a blogger that most stretches the boundary of what's really healthy to a new high (or low, depending upon your nutritional vantage point).

Were I to do so, this week's winner among many tough competitors might be the "BBQ Tempeh Hoagies Made with Chipolte Mayo (made with new Tempeh-tations)."  Here's the math for those ingredients worth mentioning:

1/2 cup Veganaise:   72 grams of fat
2 Servings Tempeh-tations:  12 grams of fat
1 1/2 TBL Canola Oil:  22 grams of fat

Total grams of fat:  106 grams of fat.  Total grams of fat per serving:  53 grams.

To put this into perspective, the ENTIRE Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast (two pancakes, two eggs, two sausage links and two pieces of bacon) has 50 grams of fat (77% of the TOTAL fat recommended per day by the government, for god's sake).

Yup... one serving of these vegan hoagies contains more fat than a Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast with over 3/4 the recommended total fat per day by the Feds, or, if you believe the only people to have reversed heart disease, around 4 to 2.5 times the recommended fat per day TOTAL.

...and ironically, the originator of this cardiovascular killer wrote "I have to say that it was love at first bite."  Yeah, that's one way of looking at it.  Another might be that it's a "grand slam" to your biological system at first bite.

Here's some ideas on how to do that "chipolte veganaise" better (the primary problem with this recipe, the canola oil the second) by the marvelous Bryanna Clark Grogan, so you don't have to be a guinea pig for experiments in seeing how much fat/oil can be inadvertantly piled into a vegan recipe. 

Become a heart healthy vegan --- reduce or eliminate the amount of added fat/oil in your diet.  Your heart, pancreas, brain, blood vessels, and most other major organs will thank you, and and isn't that really true love at first bite?

[Admin. note:  the most recent comment and my response has been removed.  A follow-up comment from the original commenter, although being abusive and insulting, accused me of, among other things, editing out part of the original comment in my response.  Even though this is not likely (not my general style, I clearly demarcate my comments within a comment as a response, which may have confused the emotional commenter) I thought it best in the interests of integrity to remove the comment with my embedded response until I find the time (and the inclination due to the aforementioned commenter's 'tude) to validate the text.  I still stand by my post above, though. FYI, Mark]

Biological Avalanches & Moderation

In "The Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn (the vegan firefighter) I noted the following quote today:

"Oils, even so-called heart-healthy olive oil, are another debacle.  Oil is fat.  As noted earlier, all vegetable oils are 100 percent fat and are the most concentrated source of calories on the planet:  120 per tablespoon... Study after study has shown that when the percentage of fat calories in the diet exceeds 15 percent of calories in the diet, cancer starts to rear its ugly head.

Sugar is yet another mess.  Cancer cells swarm to sugar like bees to honey, because it is an important source of food for them.  So the farther you stay away from packaged candies, sugary cereals, sodas, juice drinks, refined grains, and alcohol, the better.  Instead, swarm to the good sugars found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains."  (p. 53)

Sure, I've been wailing to the Gods and gnashing my teeth a lot recently on this blog about the impact on inviting heart disease added oil has, but not nearly as much regarding the cancer issues.  Imagine my surprise when, a few hours later, I read a post about a vegan recipe for "Goodbye Winter" Mint Cocoa Cookies, the ingredients of which are essentially:  a bunch of white flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 4 tbs syrup, 1 cup candied walnuts, 2 tbs added oil, and 1/4 cup vegan butter (4 tbs of pure fat).... oh, and chocolate chips, misc. flavorings.  Devoid of any significant nutritional value (aside from some Omega-3 from the walnuts).

Of course I did the math:  around 10 grams of fat PER COOKIE (for newbies:  that's 2/3 to 1/2 of the recommended TOTAL fat per day by Drs. Esselstyn, Ornish, Barnard, and McDougall).

Now, one of the first "defensive" comments I get about my concerns about these things is "well, in moderation it's okay."  Says who?  McDougall claims, "Moderation kills."  My thinking, from reading the guys above, is that over time, the insults to the cardiovascular system (and overall biological system) add up, and most people who consume added fat (regardless of exercise or being vegan and vegetarian), hit the wall in their 50s and 60s via a heart attack or stroke.  But, the damage starts in your earlier years, kiddos.  And there's no way to measure it (it's related to cholesterol, but low cholesterol isn't proof that you aren't damaged or approaching that point).  So, the sooner you get over the addiction to added fat the better.

I've called it "Russian Roulette" to add oil to your diet, but recently, I've been thinking about avalanches.  I mean, if the avalanche is the plaque that forms that causes 90% of the strokes/attacks that kill us (whether we are plant-based in diet or not), which "snowflake" (or tablespoon of added oil) ultimately causes the avalanche (cancer, heart attack, or stroke)?

Refined grains, 10 grams of fat per serving from nuts and oil, and a ridiculous amount of sugar and syrup. Maybe those cookies should be called "Hello Cancer" or "Hello Heart Disease" instead of "Goodbye Winter."

IMHO, that's much more accurate.

Daiya responds: re: Vegan Cheese's Ingredients

Well, I'd vented a bit in a previous post about a "discerning" vegan promoting a product of which he'd had no idea of what ingredients were in it.  Aside from my nutritional analysis/eval, I made the following statement :

"The Daiya website has a lot of words about what isn't in their products, but no info (other than nutritional analysis) about what is.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll bet that the fat comes from added oil, a non-whole food in their self-proclaimed "whole-food plant-based products."

I sent an e-mail to Daiya asking about the ingredients to their cheese products.  Here's the key part of the response that arrived this evening (and I did thank them for providing it):

"Purified water, natural whole ground cassava and/or arrowroot flours, high oleic sunflower and/or safflower and/or identity-preserved high oleic canola oil, coconut oil and/or palm fruit oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, natural vegan flavors (derived from plants), xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, natural vegan enzymes, natural vegan bacterial cultures, citric acid, natural color.   Kind regards,  Greg Blake,  Daiya Consumer Relations"

Wow... it's basically OIL... added FAT (over 50% total calories from FAT)... and what's worse, coconut and palm oils contain the highest percentage of saturated fat of ALL vegetable oils, a double-whammy to the circulatory system:

"Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol."  (American Heart Association)

Daiya's website is misleading and delusional:

"Daiya is made with nutritious pure and natural whole-food plant-based ingredients."

Yeah, right.  Added sunflower, and/or safflower, and/or "identity-preserved high oleic canola oil [what the hell does this mean??], coconut oil, and/or palm fruit oil" are NOT the pure whole foods, natural products they claim are in their cheeses.   NONE of these are whole foods.  They are highly processed extracts, and don't exist in nature in this form.  They are also deleterious to your circulatory system and can damage you in many ways.  These added oils fuel the development of plaque that leads to 90% of the heart attacks/strokes that kill us (regardless of whether we are vegan, vegetarian, have low cholsterol, or exercise a lot).

A bunch of fat/oil, coagulates, flavors, and color.  How NUTRITIOUS, NATURAL and WHOLESOME.  And THANK GOD that the "water" is "PURIFIED."  Whew!  That's makes a HUGE difference.  And I always prefer my ground cassava and/or arrowroot flour NATURAL.  I won't even get into the "xantham gum" which is the same substance as the slime that forms on spoiled brassica plants (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.).

Anyway, Daiya's "faux cheeses" are just another vegan high-added oil fake cheese product that too many suckers think is great because it melts or is stringy, when in fact, it's a fat-filled faux food detrimental to your health and NOT "pure," wholesome or healthy.  "Daiya," "Follow Your Heart," "Tofutti," "Sheese," and "Teese," and other similar fat delivery vehicles, are all products from well-meaning companies providing fake cheese drugs to vegan addicts.  They ain't food.  That added fat increases heart disease and obesity potential (among other diseases).  That's been proven and isn't theory any more.  It's been measured and is not just a statistical average or abstraction.

Get over your pre-vegan taste and texture addictions.  Avoid this kind of stuff and within several weeks, your taste and texture cravings will end.  Isn't your life worth it?  Your heart will thank you.

[Addendum:  "Oleic and monounsaturated fatty acids have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer."]

Vegan Before Dinnertime (article/audio interview)

"In his newest book, “Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating With More Than 75 Recipes,” Mark explains how increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and reducing dependence on processed foods will lead to better health not only for your body, but also for the planet...

"My arrangement with myself is that from the time I wake up until dinner I eat only fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. I don’t even eat white bread during the day. And then starting at dinner, I do. I have one meal a day when I do pretty much what I want, which is normally quite indulgent."

Mark made the changes after developing high cholesterol, borderline high blood sugar, bad knees and sleep apnea, and realizing he was about 35 pounds overweight. A doctor suggested he adopt a vegan diet, which means no animal products. But for a food writer, Mark said, becoming a full-time vegan was both unrealistic and undesirable [yeah, right]. Instead, he came up with a compromise:

"I decided to do this sort of “vegan till 6” plan. I didn’t have huge thoughts or plans about it. I just thought it was worth a try. Within three or four months, I lost 35 pounds, my blood sugar was normal, cholesterol levels were again normal … and my sleep apnea indeed went away. All these good things happened, and it wasn’t as if I was suffering so I stayed with it…."

Mark says he’s not trying to promote a particular diet, but does want people to realize that a simple evaluation of your diet can lead to meaningful changes."

[On the one hand, it's great that someone as well-known, listened to, and celebrated as Bittman is recognizing the importance of diet, the environment, and your health.  On the other hand, I do think it's a bit of a cop-out to be a dietary vegan for 12 hours a day, and gourge on multiple meats/fats the next six hours (I've heard about some of his meals from various interviews).  Overall, probably positive in making more people think.

Especially in view of what some vegans are eating.  A self-proclaimed "heath guru" vegan cook recently posted a choc-starwberry birthday cake recipe creating a 2 layer killer with 10 servings (according to dessert vendors), each of which has a full day's worth of fat a la Esselstyn: over 15 grams.

But, surprisingly even worse, was a post from a college student this week (excited to make it "soy and gluten-free"), who (while praising her) took a classic Joanne Stepaniak recipe for unprocessed cheese sauce, with 1 gram of fat per serving, eliminated the small amount of tofu, added 1/3 cup of canola oil, 1/3 cup of cashews, and essentially made each serving around 24 times fattier (yup, an incredible 24 grams of fat per serving).  That's way over Essy's recommendations AND over 1/3 what the Feds recommend per day.  One serving... megayuck...

Perhaps Bittman's advice about a "simple evaluation of your diet" leading to "meaningful changes" is something many vegan cooks should seriously consider for their own long-term health.  Added fat kills.

Full article here (with link to audio interview) and below.]

Discerning Vegan: Evaluating Products & Recipes

Certainly one of the neat things about blogs is that it's now possible to get a much better understanding of how and what other vegans are eating.  Admittedly, I find this a mixed blessing.  We can readily exchange new ideas, approaches, and techniques for creating healthy low-fat vegan recipes and interact with each other.  But, on the flip side, we can also see some real mistakes and, I believe, inconsistencies in pursuing a healthy vegan lifestyle.

For example:  I just read a post about a vegan pepper pasta dish that has roughly 20 grams of fat per serving (a whole day's worth of fat, a la Esselstyn, or, Fed viewpoint:  1/3 of a total day's worth of fat per serving).  That's from 3 tbl. of olive oil "on top" of 4 tbl. of congealed Earth Balance fat (didn't account for soy milk or tofu).  Gaaaaack....  However, the posting that got me writing this entry was about (1) an advisory about a cool new pair of non-leather boots or shoes, and (2) mention of a new faux cheese that "was stringy."  Why did I find this problematic? 

Well, that "cheese" from Daiya has 5.5 grams of fat per 2 tbl. (whole milk mozzarella:  some 6 grams of fat per 2 tbl.).  The average serving of pizza contains about 1/3 cup of cheese, or, if you will, a little over 5 tbl.  As such, if using that faux cheese in amounts most people would, that single serving of pizza would have 27.5 grams of fat (440 calories, more than 1,000 mg of sodium).  And yet Daiya has the huevos to call it "nutritious" while 50% of this product's calories are from FAT.   Even more ironic, said blogger learned about the stuff at a PCRM event...  WTF?  PCRM's leader, Dr. Neal Barnard, has written often about no-added fat low-sodium vegan diets, diabetes, health, and even gave an award to Esselstyn for his research on no-added fat vegan diets and reversing/preventing heart disease.

But wow... gee whiz... it's stringy... guess some people are more concerned about the ingredients of what they wear than about what's in the food they eat.  The Daiya website has a lot of words about what isn't in their products, but no info (other than nutritional analysis) about what is.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll bet that the fat comes from added oil, a non-whole food in their self-proclaimed "whole-food plant-based products."

Anyway, we all make our choices.  Me?  I'm less concerned about a food product being "stringy" than the added oil in it that would contribute to and promote heart disease, diabetes, and all the other stuff I keep writing about.  We need to get past those bad ol' taste and texture addictions, and start remembering to study the nutritional labels on ANY vegan product, paying particular attention to the "unholy trio" of fat/oil, sodium, and sugar... and always remember that someone or company saying "it's nutritious" doesn't make it so.  After all, for how many years did many of us believe the hype that meat, dairy, and/or eggs were "wholesome" and/or "natural?"

"My Effortless Weight Loss" (by Plump Vegan)

Here's part of a fine post (link below) from the self-proclaimed "Plump Vegan" about how he lost 14 lbs. of weight the first month of following Dr. McDougall's (and in effect, Esselstyn, Barnard, and Ornish's) advice.  I did essentially the same thing back in 1995, losing some 70+ lbs. in around 3-4 months (I forget exactly how long).  Key was keeping the fat as a percentage of calories low (10-15%) and NO ADDED FAT (remember, oil is not a food), and some of them, like coconut and palm oil are incredibly high in percentage of saturated fat, a double-heart killer in terms of being added fat and type of fat).  PV also provides an example of his daily menu:

"A month ago I attended a nutritional seminar from Dr. McDougall. What I learned there resulted in changes to my diet. So far, one month in, I’m on schedule.  I’ve been eating this new way now for just over a month (about 32 days). I weighed 213.6 pounds (97kg) the day I started, and yesterday morning I cracked the 200 barrier, weighing in at 199.4 (90.6kg). So that’s 14 pounds (6.4kg) lost the first month. Yesterday I fit into a pair of pants that I’d been keeping in storage anticipating that one day I’d be able to wear them again.

The idea of the diet is very simple:

Eat only foods that are low in caloric density (and high in nutritional density).

That is, stick to foods that have relatively low caloric contents for their weight. In practice this means eating salad greens, green and yellow vegetables, fruits, whole grains (but not whole grain flour or bread), beans and lentils, and starchy vegetables like potatoes. Avoid adding oil to anything, avoid all meat, eggs, and dairy products (no problem for me because I was already a vegan), avoid nuts and avocados, and avoid “empty” carbs like soda and white flour.

Of the foods I eat, I eat as much of them as I want whenever I’m hungry."

One additional note:  not only do we get easy weight loss by following this approach, we drastically reduce the chances of getting heart disease, Type II diabetes, Altzheimer's disease, and a slew of other problems. Note:  the nuts and avocadoes are a weight-loss or existing heart disease issue.  If neither is of concern, small amounts are okay.

You can read P. Vegan's full post here.  My sincere congratulations to him for his discipline, candor, and willingness to share his experiences.  Let's hope more people (incuding vegans) get it together and stop posting ridiculous recipes with as much as a day's worth of fat per serving.  That's not helping anyone.  Stop ignoring the facts:  added fat kills (and as McDougall says, paraphrased) so does "moderation."

SHMEAT! Inescapable Future of Humanity?

Stephen Colbert did a very amusing, but all too truthful (truthy?) interview with a scientist attempting to make "meat" from tissue cultures in competition for a PETA cash prize.  Although I'd never eat it, it's surprising how many veg'ns have indicated interest. Ah well... still, do enjoy this 5 minute piece. I don't know how long it will be available. FYI, Mark (more of "The Colbert Report" from Hulu here)

Voice for Vegans: FatfreeVegan's Voisin

Susan's been at it longer on the web for veganism  than just about anyone.  Here's an article about Susan, her prolific and creative FatFree Vegan Blog, the amazing (and recipe searchable) FatFreeVegan.com, and a cool quinoa-based recipe.  Many congratulations to Susan for getting some of the recognition she so much deserves for being so ahead of the curve with her tireless efforts.  Let's hope that many more in the vegan community finally pay attention to pioneers like Susan, McDougall, Esselstyn, and Ornish, who have shown how and why it can be done, and stop risking their health by blindly and needlessly adding fat to what are otherwise wholesome meals.  Enjoy reading about Susan and be inspired!

"Susan Voisin's Jackson dining room may now be her office, photography studio and in-house props storage facility, but the focus remains on food.  Not all food. Just what fits in the scope of her vegan diet - a personal and increasingly professional pursuit.  What started as a hobby and a service has grown into a bread-and-nut-butter (in limited quantities) blogging business, sharing her kitchen creations with fellow readers who eschew meat and animal products, and even some who don't.

Voisin began her Web site, www.fatfreevegan.com, in 2003 and her blog, www.blog.fatfreevegan. com followed three years later. Mentions in magazines Vegetarian Times and VegNews helped swell her readership and in 2007, hers was voted the most popular blog by VegNews readers. Last summer, she was a guest chef at the McDougall Health and Medical Center in Santa Rosa, Calif.  For the past year and a half, SusanV, as she's known on her blog, has made a living at it. She has about 125,000 visitors a month, who check in for her latest low-fat vegan recipes and commentary.

"The cutoff is no added oils or margarine or anything like that, and low on other fats, such as nuts and seeds," Voisin says of her recipes. "I do use a little bit of peanut butter and other nut butters and nuts themselves, but no oils at all."

[Full article here (with recipe) and below]

Tofutti Double-whammy

One of my favorite vegan bloggers recently posted a recipe for "injecting" a Tofutti Cream Cheese mixture into cupcakes.  Imagine my surprise when a quick bit of research revealed two aspects of the product that anyone buying or consuming same should consider.  Here's a list of the ingredients:

Tofutti Cream Cheese: "water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, isolate soy protein, maltodextrin, tofu, non-dairy lactic acid, sugar, locust bean, guar and carrageenan gums, salt, vegetable mono and diglcerides, and potassium sorbate (added as a preservative)."  Boy, doesn't that just read wholesome and tasty?

So (1) it's basically a lot of trans-fat with a little tofu and miscellaneous processed chemicals/substances.  But, what's wrong with trans fats?

"... trans fats are not essential, and they do not promote good health[1]. The consumption of trans fats increases one's risk of coronary heart disease[2] by raising levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.[3] Health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of trans fat be reduced to trace amounts. Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are more harmful than naturally occurring oils."

FROM:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat

...and (2) (from the recipe): 1/2 container = 20 grams of fat and 1/4 cup vegan margarine: 4 TBLs fat = 48 grams of fat.   Total: 68 grams of fat.  Doesn't take into account the possible added fat in making the cupcakes (which could have been made fat free).

In any case, whatta concept... two ways to insult your cardiovascular system and invite heart disease:  trans-fat and a lot of fat. 

As an alternative for use in an otherwise creative approach to cupcakes, here's a post I made a year ago with a fine recipe from Bryanna Clark Grogan for a vegan cream cheese substitute.  People might want to give it a try... no trans-fat, significantly less fat overall, and all the ingredients are easy to pronounce --- definitely much more heart-healthy (and, btw, cheaper!) than using the abusive Tofutti Cream Cheese.

Obesity, Diabetes & Heart Disease: Recipe for Dementia

"A new series of studies has shown that obesity in combination with diabetes and heart disease can work together to hasten the onset of dementia as well as other mental disabilities. When you look at the risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, you will find obesity at the top of the list. A diet rich in fatty foods is a major component for the development of heart disease while a diet containing too many starchy, sugary foods and not enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are key ingredients for developing diabetes. "  [Quote from HERE]

Let's not forget, too, that added fat/oil also provides the fuel for plaque formation that causes 90% of heart attacks & strokes (without warning), regardless of one's lipid or cholesterol levels, or physical fitness. Esselstyn has noted research that indicates by the time people are 50, most show signs of "tiny" strokes in their brains from added fat in their diet, that may later manifest as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.  They are too small to be noticed, but with the accumulation over time will be.

Added salt contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease, yet how many vegans consume over 1 teaspoon equivalent of salt a day, the recommended max? (hint:  check the labels on Tamari, Soy Sauce, and Bragg's).  Added sugar/sweeteners contribute to obesity and diabetes.  1 soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, effectively a recommended day's worth (that's around 3 tablespoons).

Yet, many in the vegan community must think themselves immune to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, because they exercise, or only use a few tablespoons of added fat in a serving, or because they are vegan.  They eat processed soy milk/sodium/fat laiden "fake cheeses and sour creams", they "fry seitan medallions in 1/2" of oil," mix 1/2 to 3/4 cup of EVOO (should be called "EVIL") into a salad dressing, or "go out to Lulu's for the discerningly brutal "nutmilk, coconut cream, and soymilk-based ice cream,"" make an "immunity boosting carrot soup with 1 tbl. of oil/fat per serving," and eat almost a day's worth of fat in the guise of two soy link sausages --- all because they are still addicted to the taste of fat.  Some are still hooked on sodium and sweets, and that's too bad.

Y'all may have overcome the desire for meat, dairy, and eggs (the Unholy Trio), but apparently haven't yet dealt with the "Unholy Trifecta" of added fat, sodium, and sugar, and as such, your health is still at real risk.

...and I'm wondering if that's not the real dementia... believing that eating added fat, sodium and sugar is healthy for you when all the reliable evidence says otherwise...

[Full article (without embedded links) below.  Additional article with study sources HERE.]

"Suicide Watch" (or: "The Price of Being Vegan")

I called a wise and well-known vegan friend late last night, one whom I've learned a lot from over the years...  I was emotionally upset over hearing that my father had another "heart-related event" last night (shortly after finishing Rip Esselstyn's new book).  Two years ago January, Dad had his first, coincidentally enough while I was in the middle of reading Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" in preparation for an interview in mid-February.  Two years ago the next week, I began following Essy's "no added fat" vegan diet recommendations, lost some 15+ lbs., as well as my desire for added fat/oil in my diet.  Dad read the book and was influenced, but he's slipped somewhat from that time.  Since then I've written about Essy's/Ornish's research and related matters often on this blog (and, aside from the many positive e-mails, taken a lot of heat).

I whined to my friend that my father just wasn't paying enough attention, and as a former test pilot, one would think he had enough discipline to do so.  My friend noted that I've done all that I can:  setting an example, providing information about diet and health, and trying to encourage him to go low-fat vegan.  He also said essentially that I was on "Suicide Watch" of sorts.  I took this phrase as providing perspective and not being "ghoulish" or mean.  Simply that the best thing I could do was to pay attention, listen, provide support, and not lecture.  Just watch, wait, and hope...

This all got me thinking about what really is the hardest part of being a "low-fat" vegan.  It isn't the lack of meat or dairy.  It isn't the lack of fat or oil.  It's not the occasional ridicule.  It is the watching someone you love, with a potentially fatal biological condition that could most likely be reversed through proper diet, not follow that diet.  I am surprised by the depth of frustration within me over this situation.  I KNOW there's nothing more I can do, and it's like watching someone walking towards the edge of the Grand Canyon and he's not hearing you yell, "Hey!  Turn around and walk the other way!"  Some of my closest friends are very overweight, and it's clear that their chances of experiencing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related disorders are increasing every month.  Still, they eat meat, cheese, and added oils.

And yet, Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish have clearly shown/proven that a no-added fat diet can reverse heart disease and prevent the formation of plaque which causes 90% of strokes that can kill without warning.  It's not theory, it's fact.  I've even put together a list of "15 reasons to avoid added vegetable oils" in your diet (which I sent to Dad).

...and still people don't change, adapt, evolve.  Yes, Dad and Mom are eating more fruit and vegetables, but they can't handle giving up the oil (a non-food), the cheese, and the meat.  It's just something I have to accept... and one of my brothers, I found out a few weeks ago, is being advised to use statins for high cholesterol... taking the first step on a slippery slope... another candidate for the "Suicide Watch."

How amazingly ironic that people often ask me the stupid "What about protein?" question, or the "Why give up milk?" query, or the "What do you eat?" curiosity, yet the real serious, insightful, and penultimate question would be: "How do you handle watching your friends and family suffer and possibly die from diseases that they needn't from if they just ate right?"

"Suicide Watch..." it's not fun.  You want to scream.  You want to yell.  You want to point out in no uncertain terms that what they are going through, the pain, and the introduction of modern medicine's "miracle drugs" with those often "pesky" fatal or complex side affects are NOT necessary or normal.  The solution has been identified and proven.  All ya gotta do is get with the program.

This is not a matter of "belief," but instead, the knowledge that the proof and the science are solid.  The physical measurements of what happens to your circulatory system from just ONE fatty meal (constriction of the endothelium and inflammation of your blood vessels) isn't subject to debate.  For me, arguing against added oil or fat in your diet is likened to insisting gravity doesn't exist or that the Sun revolves around the Earth.  There are facts, there are theories.  Fact:  added fat/oil, dairy, and meat in your diet will, regardless of exercise, increase your risks for a host of disease, predominant amongst them being heart disease and strokes.  Stop with the added fat (plus meat and dairy) and you will lower your cholesterol as well as your risk of heart disease/stroke.  No guesswork involved.

So, how unfortunate it is that those of us who understand this, and follow a diet incorporating this awareness, in decreasing our own odds of developing and succumbing to these diseases, are at the same time increasing the odds that in our later life, we will be on the same "Suicide Watch" for those we love who haven't understood or figured it out.  Watching, waiting, hoping, offering advice and help when solicited, and wishing it weren't so, knowing it doesn't have to be.

... tick tock tick tock tick tock...  praying they pay attention before it's too late, and that the next alarm bell isn't the final knell.

Engine 2 Diet Vegan Lasagna Recipe

"If you've heard about the Engine 2 Diet and want to try an Engine 2 approved recipe, here's a sample recipe to try. This is Rip Esselstyn's "Raise the Roof" sweet potato vegetarian lasagna. It's so good, he says, that he served it at his own wedding! It's also low in fat and cholesterol-free. Recipe courtesy of The Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn."  (From here, where the recipe is as well)

Note:  free registration at Rip's website will get you access to tons of recipes and a chance to interact with others endeavoring to follow Esselstyn's dietary recommendations.

Video: "Engine 2 Diet" Rip Esselstyn on "Today Show"

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's son, Rip, has a new book out that's combination "save your life plan" of exercise, diet, and recipes (plant-based; no added oil).  As a fireman and professional athlete, Rip's been following this diet (as recommended by his father) for over 12 years (winning many impressive contests).  Rip was on the Today Show this recent Monday, and here's a clip from the show (note:  I'll be interviewing Rip in a few weeks for the Mad Cowboy Newsletter, and my thanks to the post from the Healthy Librarian as pointed out by Rip's proud mom!)

Chocolate Helps Heart - Coffee Dangerous

"Dark chocolate and older lovers of cocoa rejoice – you are helping your heart and arteries, according to two studies presented at the American Society of Hypertension’s Nineteenth Annual Scientific Meeting. But another study found those needing a caffeine jolt [from coffee] had better switch to decaf to preserve the endothelium – the layer of cells lining blood vessels that control the ability of blood vessels to dilate and prevent clot formation. Poor endothelial function and arterial stiffness are considered cardiovascular risk factors in addition to smoking, hypertension, obesity and high cholesterol."

[Full article here and below; study cited here.  Let's see:  since added oil decreases endothelial functions, inflames blood vessels, and provides the fuel for plaques that cause strokes, imagine what topping off that high-fat entree or dessert with a cup of coffee is doing to our cardiovascular system?

Those studies like the "Nurse's Health Study" that conclude coffee reduces a woman's stroke risk are based upon interviews and broad statistics.  The study I'm posting about actually MEASURES the impact on the endothelium after drinking coffee.  We must learn to distinguish between statistical averages and actually measurements of body mechanisms involved.  This is one of the reasons I put more emphasis on Ornish, Esselstyn, and Baranard's (et. al) research:  they measured the impact on blood vessels, for example, and got precise numbers.  The same with the studies showing added fat/oil affecting the endothelium and inflaming blood vessels.  The Med. Diet, the various Harvard studies, and so on, are dealing with statistics and not underlying processes.

A quote of from Dr. Esselstyn that puts these types of studies in perspective: 

"After four years on the Mediterranean Diet, 25 percent of the people either died or had another major cardiac event. To me, that has absolutely nothing to do with the arrest and reversal of heart disease; that is simply slowing the rate of progression." (from this interview)

Anyway, here's a excellent summary article with detailed references about the physically addictive coffee's impact  on your body from Dr. McDougall.  Well worth the long read.]

High-Fat Diets Inflame Fat Tissue Around Blood Vessels, Contribute to Heart Disease

"A study by researchers at the Univ. of Cincinnati shows that high-fat diets, even if consumed for a short amount of time, can inflame fat tissue surrounding blood vessels, possibly contributing to cardiovascular disease.  These findings will be published in the Feb. 20 edition of the American Heart Association journal Circulation Research.

Neal Weintraub, MD, and colleagues examined adipose tissue—or fat—surrounding the coronary arteries of humans.  The researchers found these fat cells to be highly inflamed, suggesting that they could trigger inflammation of the blood vessels, an important component of atherosclerosis....

“This is independent of weight gain or blood lipids—cholesterol levels,” says Weintraub, senior author of the study and chair of the cardiovascular diseases division at UC....  “It produced striking abnormalities of the fat tissue surrounding blood vessels in a very short period of time,” he says. “This is a warning to those who say there isn’t a problem because their weight and cholesterol levels are under control. Lipid profiles don’t hold all the answers..."

[Full article here and below.  This post dedicated to those people telling me in comments on another blog about how "fat grams" don't matter and "olive oil is good for you" when I pointed out the the recipe/meal, although vegan, posted had 80+ grams of fat (the Feds recommend 60 grams of fat per day, Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish, 14 to 20).  How else to measure the fat amount of a meal other than by fat grams?

Let's see:  one fatty meal decreases the elasticity of your endothelium in your blood vessels, provides the material fuel for plaque that causes strokes, and now we know it inflames the fat tissue around blood vessels.   And still... some of you ridicule me for suggesting a no-added fat vegan diet is the best for your health.  You write notes promoting the "virtues" of the non-food and minimally nutritious on any account "olive oil."

Get real.  Eat real food.  Olive oil is not food.  Added fat is a potential killer for many reasons, and this is not theory at this point, it is measured fact.]

Troubling Tempeh Loaves

It's easy to forget that undesirable amounts of "fat grams" come not only from vegetable oils.  To wit:  last night I was comparing nutritional stats on tofu versus tempeh from my 'frig when I was struck by the fat content of tempeh (of course, I knew about some tofus being relatively high in fat).  24 grams of fat per block, and as such, I increased the amount of vegetables in my stir-fry and used only a third of a block of tempeh (my lunch was salad/veggies no-fat dressing, breakfast:  mixed fresh fruit, homemade bread as toast and homemade apple butter).

Later in the evening, I noticed a favorite blogger referencing another favorite blogger's "mini-tempeh loaves" recipe, the original chef nothing that it was about enough for "3 starving kids."

Intrigued, I did the math on just the fatty stuff in the recipe:

48 grams of fat:  2 8.5 oz. blocks of tempeh  (according to White Wave: six servings)
28 grams of fat:  2 TBL of oil

So, that's 76 grams of fat, or around 25 grams of fat per "starving kid."  That's over 1 to near 2x the fat recommended by Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard, and McDougall, PER DAY in just ONE ENTREE for ONE MEAL.  The "happy" vegan who made this recipe also made a tofu cornbread as a side (clearly having fat in it from the tofu).  Oh, and 25 grams of fat is "half" a Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast...

Anyway, others using this mini-loaf recipe might consider making it heart-healthy by subbing some wheat gluten and rice and/or lentils for one of those blocks of tempeh.  Amazing how many similar recipes to "mini-loaves" have been referred to as "healthy" by their giddy authors.

...and amazing, too, is that some people wonder why there are fat vegans or how vegans can still get heart attacks like carnivores.  Too much fat is too much fat, whether it comes from oil, tempeh, or a dead animal's flesh.  They all can contribute to plaque formation in your blood vessels and a host of other degenerative issues.

"Healthy Vegan" By The Numbers

I'm continually amazed that vegans who carefully read labels on food products for animal stuff so often seem to be ignorant of recognizing the sodium and fat content in what they eat.  Vegan recipe blog posts gleefully writing "drizzle olive oil liberally" and "I can't get enough olive oil" and "oil is good for you" and "add 1 cup Earth Balance" drive me nuts from recognizing that it is these misconceptions, myths, and dellusions that actually promote and encourage heart disease.

Remember, the only guys to reverse (and in theory, prevent) heart disease (Ornish, Esselstyn) recommend 14 to 20 grams of fat MAX per day.  This is from 20+ years of peer-reviewed research.

In pondering the issue, I decided to put together an ad hoc list of 10 statistics that every vegan who wants to be a healthy vegan (and prevent heart disease) should consider memorizing as a guide for how they shop, cook, and as a reason to do so:

1)  14 to 20 g:  recommended maximum fat grams per day by Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard, and McDougall

2)  12 to 14 g:  amount of fat grams in 1 TBL of oil

3)  100 to 120 calories:  amount of calories in 1 TBL of oil

4)  16 TBL:  number of TBL in 1 cup of oil, Earth Balance, Soy Margarine, etc., (240 g of fat)

5)  24 g:  fat grams in one serving (2 TBL) of most oil-based dressings

6)  10 percent:  recommended daily percentage of calories from fat (Ornish, Esselstyn)

7)  < 2000 mg:  recommended sodium per day (Esselstyn)

8)  2400 mg:  amount of sodium in 1 tsp of salt

9)  445,687:  number of deaths (US) from coronary heart disease in 2005... the single leading cause of death in America today (source)

10) 17,000,000:  number of people killed by heart disease and stroke a year, which is almost one-third of all deaths globally (source)

Note:  yes, going vegan lessens your chances of getting heart disease, but it DOES NOT necessarily prevent it, especially if you are using added oils (which aren't foods anyway and fuel artery-clogging plaque formation, just as bad as saturated meat).  Exercise, although useful, is not the determinent variable here (Esselstyn).  It's the added non-food:  oil.

Know the truth, learn the stats, and understand what products you are adding to your healthy food that will make it unhealthy, and stop it.  Your circulatory system will thank you... and, in very high probability, take care of you longer than if you didn't.

Heart Attack Russian Roulette 2009

A favorite blog of mine that emphasizes "fat free vegan" recipes (and has done much astounding and tremendous, ground-breaking work), recently held a contest for "Vegetable Love 2009" to create a romantic plant-based Valentine's Dinner, and let people vote for the winner.

You can imagine my surprise when I glommed the 16-year old chef's second place winning recipes.  Here's the link to "Vegetable Love 2009:  Cashew Crusted Tofu, Vegetable Israeli Couscous, Sauteed Kale, Roasted Red Pepper Coulis." 

And now, as is customary on my blog, the nutritional facts:

The crusted tofu, etc., menu has 10 TBL of Fat, and 1 1/4 cups of cashews (not counting, if memory serves, oil for frying).  This translate into:

10 TBL of Fat/Oil = 140 grams of fat

The Cashews = over 90 grams of fat

Total:  230 grams of fat.

Feds recommend 60 grams of fat per day at most, Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, etc., 14 to 20 grams.

This "vegan foodie" meal has near 4 times the total fat the Feds recommend per day and near 12 times the fat the guys who've reversed/prevented heart disease recommend... and I'm not even including the fat in tofu (which can, in some circumstances, be 50% of calories from fat).

Unbelievable.

Instead of "Love 2009" it should be called "Heart Attack Russian Roulette 2009."  It might be a 'gorgeous dish that wins everyone's heart' but it also puts everyone's heart at risk.  ONE serving kills a day's worth of fat according to the Feds and near 3x that recommended by the heart disease experts.  High fat intake has been implicated in not only heart disease, but also diabetes, aging, cancers, and Altzheimer's disease.

Sorry if I sound "crusty" but the math here doesn't lie.

Let's hope the talented young vegan chef soon learns a bit more about diet and it's proven relationship to coronary heart disease, et. al., soon, reads the fat free vegan blog with a bit more attention to the concept, and understands that there's "unhealthy" vegan cooking and "healthy vegan cooking."  If he continues to design meals this way, his promising career might be shorter than it could be and we'd all be lesser as a result.

Follow Your Heart: don't eat "Follow Your Heart"

I was tempted to call this post "Teesing Heart Disease" or "Sheese, Heart Disease," but couldn't resist using "Follow Your Heart."  After reading so many praising blog posts about these three faux cheeses, I did some research on the nutritional and fat content of these substitutes, and was stunned by the results.

Here are the assumptions/statistics:

1) in 2005 alone, coronary heart disease caused 445,687 deaths (the leading cause of death for men and women).  That breaks down to over 8,500 people per week, 1,200 per day, and although going veg'n reduces the odds, it does, by no stretch of the imagination, eliminate them.  You can be veg'n and still consume too much fat/oil.

2) Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn, through 20+ years of peer-reviewed research, did what no one else (even with vaunted modern medical science) did:  they reversed (and in theory, prevented) heart disease.  They did this through diet (Essy showed exercise, although a good idea, wasn't critical).  A NO-added fat vegan diet.  They (and Drs. McDougall and Barnard) recommend between 14 and 20 grams of fat per day MAX.  Essy has shown that it is the added oil/fat in your diet that enables the formation of plaque that will clog your circulatory system and kill you via stroke.

3) Oil is NOT a food.  It adds pure fat to your system and has pretty much nothing to offer nutritionally (Omega-3 is better from other sources)

4) The average pizza is 12 inches in diameter, and is considered by many "food experts" to represent 3 servings.  The average amount of cheese put on a 12" pizza is about a cup.  Therefore, one serving has 1/3 cup (43 grams of cheese (faux or real)).  I'm also using the high-end of Ornish, et. al, daily fat recommendations of 20 grams.

Okay, here are the numbers, per serving:

SHEESE MOZZ:   150 cal, 12 g of fat = 60% of the max recommended fat per day  (18% Fed's) and 72% calories from FAT

TEESE MOZZ:    120 cal, 9 g of fat = 45% of the max recommended fat per day (14% Fed's) and 75% calories from FAT

FOLLOW YOUR HEART/VEGAN GOURMET MOZZ:  105 cal, 12 g of fat = 60% of the max recommended fat per day (18% Fed's) and 100% calories from FAT

What's in these dietary heart attack, diabetes, obesity invitations?  Predominantly soy milk/beans and added oil.  Bonus:  if you use the so-called healthy organic dressings with oil, just 2 TBL (one serving) is around 15 grams of fat extra.  Eat that single pizza serving, use that dressing (hey, who the hell uses only 2 TBL of dressing?) on a side salad, and you've eaten, in one meal, more fat than recommended by Ornish, et. al., per day (50% or so of the Fed's recommendations).  Tick tick tick tick.... kaboom!

So, I ask, which is worse:  hormone pus-cell filled dairy cheese or congealed soy milk and oil?  Answer: the question is a red herring.  Both should be avoided, period.  Even in moderation, they both contribute to heart disease.  Yes, the fake cheeses might be "healthier" than real cheese, but in regards to your heart, NO.  That added fat increases your odds for a heart attack or stroke just the same whether it's from dairy or soy milk and oil (one-third cup of whole milk dairy mozzarella equals 8 grams of fat, less than all three faux cheeses above).

If you really "heart your heart" you'd do better to de-condition your fat receptors to not crave fat any more and stop consuming added oil in your diet.  Takes 14 weeks or thereabouts to lose the craving.  I've done it; it works.

New Mad Cowboy Newsletter Posted

Here's the Intro, Table of Contents, and a Direct Link, to the 65th issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.  Enjoy!

--------
Howdy!  Welcome to the 65th issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/86

In this issue we're proud to showcase a recipe from a new cookbook (and fine blog) available online:  "The Vegan Dad Cookbook."

There's also information on how fruit can help you fight the flu, 20 anti-aging herbs and spices, news about mercury in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and "Food Matters."  Reading further, you'll learn about the world's "largest vegan," how bees help plants by "being" scary, why a well-known circus has been taken to court, that Rome's greatest athletes were vegans, and be able to watch several videos listed in our "Vegan Digital Theater Showcase" ranging from an introduction to animal rights (Dr. Tom Regan), an elephant and best friend, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, "Flow: The Water Crisis," and five top films about food.

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

Best wishes to all for a good 2009, stay warm, and start planning those Spring Vegetable Gardens!

Mark, MC editor/webmaster

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
02: A Recipe from "The Vegan Dad Cookbook"
03: Mad Cow Info Round-up
04: Fruit & Flu, Herbs & Spices, Mercury & HFCS, Eggs & Diabetes
05: Largest Vegan, Scary Bees, Circus on Trial, Lobster Goes Free
06: Vegan Digital Theater Showcase
07: Vegans Best Roman Athletes, The Veg Internet, Food Matters
08: Howard's Schedule
09: Quick Bytes
10: Closing Thoughts

"Grand Slamming" Your Heart

Denny's Restaurant announced, to great fanfare, that they are giving out FREE "Grand Slam Breakfasts" at today as part of their attempt to make people aware of their "real breakfast."

Here's the math:  1 serving is 795 calories (over half a day's worth as recommended by those esteemed doctors who've reversed heart disease, and less than a third day's worth as recommended by the Feds), 50 grams of fat (prevent/reverse heart attack daily recommendation: 14 gms, or 77% of daily total as recommended by Feds),and an astonishing 2237 mg of sodium (around twice recommended by Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn, 93% of total sodium recommended per day by Feds).

"Nelson Marchioli, president and CEO of Denny’s, says he expects at least 2 million more customers today. “In this economy, people will respond to free,” he said. "

IMHO if it's logical to "outlaw" trans-fats, the same rationale should keep this ridiculous and biologically abusive meal off the menu and certainly not be allowed to give it away for free.  Denny's Management should be water-boarded for serving this kind of coronary-inducing "real" breakfast, or better yet, force them to watch coronary bypass surgery a la "Clockwork Orange" several times and donate a portion of future profits to heart disease-related charities.

This breakfast isn't real, but decidedly "unreal" and a real grand slam to the heart.

The World's Largest Vegan

The next time you're faced with the inevitable "you can't get enough protein" assertion, or the "vegans can't maintain strong muscles and/or bones" illusion from a veg skeptic, give 'em a copy of this article:

"Vegan Said to Be Largest on Earth"

January 30, 6:19 AM, by Peggy Kraus, Disease Prevention Examiner

"Americans have long equated animal protein (e.g. chicken, milk, and eggs) with growth, strength, and good health, and they assume that without animal protein, we would fast become sickly and weak.

To most, a vegetarian or vegan diet seems odd and incomplete. But, consider this fact in support of how nutritious, strength-supporting, and satisfying this lifestyle is:

The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest land animal in the world.  A full-grown female can weigh between 7,000 and 10,000 pounds (three to five tons), reaching heights of 10 feet from the toe to the shoulder while a full-grown male can weigh between 9,000 and 14,000 pounds (four to seven tons) and stand as tall as 14 feet. Elephants are herbivores, which means that they only eat plant material.

When confronted with research that supports that animal foods create disease, people are most confused about protein and where their daily source will come from. They also worry about getting enough protein from a plant-based diet. The fact is that if  the diet is sufficient in calories, it will also be sufficient in protein.

After all, if an elephant can grow big and strong eating a plant-based diet, and remain big and strong eating a plant-based diet, can't you?"

...and even better, the African elephant doesn't consume added oils, refined sugar, or salt.  Go low fat vegan!]

A Key Raw Foods Fallacy

I have a lot of respect for those who follow a raw foods diet.  Although I'm not a "raw foodist" per se, I do try to incorporate at least 50 to 75% of my diet from raw vegetables/fruits every day.

That being said, some raw foods recipes I've seen posted or referenced in the always intriguing "NotMilk" column (1), (2), (3),  prompted me to articulate a major concern I have from reviewing many such recipes in popular cookbooks and online.  Once again, it's fat... added fat.  One recipe for "vice cream" called for 2 cups of raw cashews (the final concoction around a quart of the frozen mixture (won't even get into the 1 cup of maple syrup).  Let's do the math:

2 cups of raw cashews (16 oz.) is about 2,496 calories and 198 grams of fat.  Assuming a serving of 1/2 cup, that's 624 calories and 49 grams of fat.

Putting this into further perspective:  the only researchers to successfully reverse (and probably prevent) heart disease through 20 years of peer-reviewed research recommend around 14 grams of fat PER DAY... around 1400 or so calories (depending upon your size).

What does this mean?  That one serving of "vice cream" contains close to 4 times the recommended fat PER DAY by Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard, and McDougall.  Near HALF the total calories.  It's not healthy.  Just because it's "raw" and "plant-based" doesn't make it nutritious or advisable for even occasional consumption.  Sure, nuts in small amounts if you've no symptoms of heart disease are okay, but this recipe is, imho, extreme.

It gets worse:  a "non-dairy vegan ice cream store" has opened in New York, where they use nuts, seeds, and coconut milk to make these heart attack specials.  How many people will unfortunately believe they are consuming a "healthy" ice cream?  Doing the math, once again:

1 cup of coconut milk is 552 calories and 57.2 grams of fat.  Not so good.

It's vital to understand that just because it's raw, doesn't make it good for you.  Altogether too many raw food recipes call for "1 cup of olive oil" or "1 cup of tahini" or "1 cup of peanut butter" and so on.  One cup of oil contains 16 tablespoons of oil, equal to 1600-1800 calories and 224 or so grams of pure fat.  That's reality.  Besides, oil isn't even a food, let alone a raw food.

I'm not debating whether raw food has been proven scientifically to be better for one's health than cooked food, but rest assured, it's been proven that added fat, and too much fat, invites heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and a host of other problems.  I'm not sure if eating that much fat in "vice cream" is any better than the animal fat, pus cells, and hormones in dairy-based ice cream.  I choose to avoid it all.  It's ironic that the author of "Vice Cream" doesn't use "soy milk" in his recipes as it's "cooked."  Be a helluva lot healthier if he did.

People, we need to stop being deluded by the idea that "raw" is always good.  It ain't, and that's the truth.  You can lose the taste and desire for fat just as you have for meat and dairy, it just takes the knowledge, discipline, and willpower.  I mean, how much harder can that be, really?

"Veggie Love" Banned from Super Bowl

Not the first time PETA's Ads have been banned... here's a web page archive of more of their mischief.  Not sure if I agree that this all does any good in the end, but... (giggle) it's great "sport" sometimes....

Global Vegan Kitchen: Robin Robertson's New Website

Robin's written 19, yup, 19 vegan/vegetarian cookbooks.  I doubt that there's anyone as prolific a veg'n cookbook author as she is, and her work is always top notch.  Yesterday, on the one-year anniversary of her creative "Vegan Planet" blog she announced her new website: Global Vegan Kitchen.  Check it out...  [Disclaimer:  yours truly did the design, layouts, and development.]

15 REASONS TO AVOID VEGETABLE OILS

Because of some of the comments and e-mail I receive about a no-added fat vegan diet, I decided to list and document, in no particular order, 15 reasons to avoid vegetable oils and go very low fat vegan.  I hope they are useful and I dedicate this List to Dr. Esselstyn who, two years ago in an interview with him, changed my life forever. The post is very long so I've just provided the List here and below you can read the expanded version with links, cites, etc.

1. THEY ARE NOT FOOD
2. PREMATURE AGING
3. CLOTTING FACTORS
4. ALTZHEIMER'S DISEASE
5. PLAQUE FORMATION RUSSIAN ROULETTE
6. BLOOD VESSEL ELASTICITY/PRESSURE
7. HEART ATTACK PROOF YOURSELF
8. THE MEDITERRANEAN STUDY MYTH
9. DIABETES
10. IMPOTENCY
11. BREAST CANCER
12. COLON & PROSTATE CANCER
13. OBESITY
14. CRAVINGS FOR FAT
15. DR. T. COLIN CAMPBELL

[Full expanded and cited list below; here's a PDF: Download 15_Reasons_To_Avoid_Oil.pdf (44.8K)]

Fruit Fights the Flu

"If you're not eating the recommended 5 fruits and vegetables a day, here's a new reason to head to the produce aisle:  Fruit fights the germs we're exposed to in the winter. "The vitamin load keeps your immune level high, allowing you to fend off colds and flu," says Amy Howell, Ph.D., a research scientist at Rutgers University. Fruits also reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Try the five below to give your immune system a boost.

Apples: The most popular source of antioxidants in our diet, one apple has an antioxidant effect equivalent to 1,500 mg of vitamin C. Apples are loaded with protective flavonoids, which may prevent heart disease and cancer.

Papayas: With 250 percent of the RDA of vitamin C, a papaya can help kick a cold right out of your system. The beta-carotene and vitamins C and E in papayas reduce inflammation throughout the body, lessening the effects of asthma.

Cranberries: Cranberries have more antioxidants than other common fruits and veggies. One serving has five times the amount in broccoli. Cranberries are a natural probiotic, enhancing good bacteria levels in the gut and protecting it from foodborne illnesses.

Grapefruit: Loaded with vitamin C, grapefruit also contains natural compounds called limonoids, which can lower cholesterol. The red varieties are a potent source of the cancer-fighting substance lycopene.

Bananas: One of the top food sources of vitamin B6, bananas help reduce fatigue, depression, stress, and insomnia. Bananas are high in magnesium, which keeps bones strong, and potassium, which helps prevent heart disease and high blood pressure."

[FROM:
http://www.menshealth.com/spotlight/coldandflu/flu-fighting-fruits.html

Latest Mad Cowboy Newsletter Available

Here's the intro, table of contents, and a direct link to the 64th issue:

Howdy!  Welcome to the 64th issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

Direct Link:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/85

We've a special treat in this edition:  a personal letter from the Big Guy himself:  Enjoy!

Reading further, there's the usual Mad Cow Info Round-Up, new studies tying the consumption of eggs to diabetes and meat to pancreatic cancer, a new analysis of the prevalence of corn in our food, and a fine essay by Dr. McDougall about answering the question:  "Why do you avoid adding additional oil/fat in your diet?

There's also a disturbing breakdown of what's really in Downey Fabric Softner (hint: it ain't vegan), the debate over elephant's health in zoos, and an range of interesting facts about animals.  Moving forward, you'll have access to links to some very interesting (and funny) video and audio, as well as read about a body spray with a rather unique odor.

We also have a very cool article about issues of "soil not oil," cutting greenhouse gases through less meat consumption globally, how Coca-Cola is stoking the 'water wars' with propaganda, and some thoughts about the new USDA Secretary Nomineee, Vilsack.  Plus:  don't miss the Vegan Recipe from a new fat-free vegan cookbook (Pudgy-Free Holidays) that's available as a PDF via the Internet.

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

...and best wishes for a Happy Vegan Holidaze, keeping warm with family and friends, and a Great New Year!

Mark, MC editor/webmaster

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
02: Vegan Recipe from Online Cookbook:  "Pudgy-Free Holidays"
03: Mad Cow Info Round-up
04: Eggs/Diabetes, Meat/Cancer, Corn in Fast Food, Avoid Fats?
05: Fabric Softener Fat, Elephant Debate, AR Spies, Animal Facts
06: Vegan Digital Theater Showcase
07: Soil Not Oil, Cut Meat/Emissions, Cola Scam, USDA Nominee Vilsack
08: Howard's Schedule
09: Quick Bytes
10: Closing Thoughts