SoulVeggie

What to say? What to do?

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

He'd recently had a heart valve "installed" and back surgery.  A tough bird.  Optimistic that you only get one chance at life, and you do the best you can.  Loved his much younger wife.  He despised what was going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

My purchase:  wheat gluten flour, broccoli, short grain rice, dijon mustard, bagels (no deli within 30 miles of here), raw cashews, fresh shittake mushrooms, ginseng tea, some seltzer.  I glanced at his purchase-to-be while he was talking about his health:  a gallon of whole milk, a six pack of some high fructose-based soda, and a large loaf of "white Wonder Bread."

Gawd... I so much wanted to say something.  I so much wanted to convey all that I know and believe about reversing heart disease from Ornish and Esselstyn's low fat vegan research, but I believed there was no opening.  I wanted to cite the numbers I now know from memory regarding fat, sugar, and salt, veganism, and cardiovascular disease.  I wanted to mention Rip.  I wanted to direct him to Susan's fat free vegan blog and website.

I'd been through this before.  It's not something you just bring up with people, they are often offended, and when I have been able to do so, there's only a tiny time window of opportunity, it was usually a verbal piggyback on my mentioning my diet & heart disease from someone's question that would draw another into the conversation, giving me my opportunity.

But I blew it.  I could have asked him to sit with me in the cafe, or talk a minute in the parking lot, and politely explain to him what I knew about a low-fat vegan diet and heart disease, given him some web addresses, and urged him to check it all out.  I COULD HAVE TRIED.  I could have risked offending him, to help him, but I didn't.  I didn't know what to say, what to do, and this haunts me in this morning's early hours.  A fine old soul, a fiery beacon of optimism in the face of so much tragedy.  I should have done something.

From the short time I interacted with this epitomy of grace under fire, I learned a lot.  I'm now resolved that I'll do better next time.  Maybe we have to make our opportunities and take that chance, and that we won't be seen as proselytizing, but instead as being compassionate.  People need to be made aware of the truth about their health, and then decide what's best for them.  It's not fiction, fantasy, nor theory:  vegan or not, added fat, sugar, and salt increases your odds of developing any number of biological disorders, particularly heart disease.  Moderation kills.

...and so does silence, so does silence.

IVU "Vegetomical" Image of a Woman

Way kewl... although tomatoes are a fruit.  One of the cleverest uses of fruits/veggies for an ad I've seen in awhile.  The original source is here.  Click on image for larger version.  Enjoy!

This clever Embeddable Flash Animation showing icons representing numbers of animals being killed in "real time" for food in the United States is available at the very interesting website:  Animal Visuals.  Check it out!

Average & Total Numbers of Animals Who Died to Feed Americans in 2008

Stunning piece of work from valid statistical sources, broken down in detail by type of animal as well as year.  Note that 8.5 billion land animals died, and some 71 billion sea animals.  There's a bunch of interesting and appalling stats herein, but the grand finale:

ALL ANIMALS
Total number died for food: 80 billion
Average number consumed per American meat-eater: 270
Average number consumed per American lifetime: 21,000

... tells the sad tale.  You can read this all in greater detail here.  Kudos for Noam (and UPC) for the fine work.

Promoting Vegan Junk Food Forever & Instant Karma

Without realizing the temporal consequences, many vegan bloggers have taken a liking to receiving free vegan food products from companies, and then promoting them, regardless of the nutritional content, and generally ignoring same.  They praise and praise the products, offer giveaways, and all to drive more traffic to their blog.  They usually cite product claims straight from the company's website without investigating their validity.

I've written about this many times.  Most recently here, here, and here.

In correspondence with a long-term vegan online friend today (and owner of an extremely popular vegan blog), my friend pointed out that these bloggers are, in effect, promoting unhealthy (fatty, salty, sugary) junk food to the vegan community, and since they've blogged about the product, they have, in effect, provided FREE ADVERTISING FOR THIS JUNK FOOD FOREVER.

How proud they must be... a new term comes to mind to describe them:  the Perpetual Vegan Shill. 

Encouraging people to buy and consume excessively fatty fake cheeses, ridiculous fatty and sugar-laden candy bars, and other nutritionally useless products.  And with the Internet, it's forever on their blogs.  They should be totally ashamed, especially those bloggers who extoll "healthy" vegan food and "no to low fat vegan recipes" on their blogs but get all excited about giving away highly processed vegan junk food.

But wait!  They'll get more free vegan products to eat and write about, and the cycle perpetuates itself.

Very very sad.  Selling your vegan soul for free products by promoting vegan junk food, forever... and in return for encouraging people to eat badly, you get more free food and more hits!  Is it really worth it?

IMHO, to quote John Lennon, "Instant karma's gonna get you."

[09_0911:  Addendum:  Wow!  The Happy Shillavore has just posted another giveway of Newman's Own Chocolate Bars (only if you subscribe to her Newsletter).  How weird.... a vegan chef promoting no to low-fat vegan recipes giving away free high fatty/sugary vegan candy bars (nutritional analysis and original commentary here) to stimulate site hits and Newsletter subscriptions  How sad.]

The Controversial Muppet Hunt

The 1980s TV comedy ensemble, "Friday's" was quite edgy and at times better than SNL.  Here's where they satirize "seal hunts" and aside from being funny,  it's quit clever and makes a good statement about how wrong and evil the real hunts are.  The "stab" later at those who wear fur is priceless.  Enjoy!

PETA Video: Jiminy Glick Interviews Ronald McDonald

Jiminy Glick Interviews 'Ronald McDonald'

Bonus Footage of Glick and McDonald.

Superb Article about Howard Lyman, aka, "The Mad Cowboy"

During years of working with Howard I've reviewed many articles about him.  The following is likely the best and most spot-on I've seen.  It's also current, although Howard's 71st birthday will be in mid-September.  It's also worth noting that not only is he a self-proclaimed "hard core" animal rights vegan, he is dedicated thoroughly to a no added fat/oil regimen with as little salt and sugar as possible.

Here's some short edits from the article here (and below);

"...Decades before cult foodie books "Fast Food Nation" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma" topped best-seller lists, or this summer's shock documentary "Food, Inc." hit theaters, Lyman was speaking what he calls "the straight facts." The message was this: Corporate greed is killing American agriculture, and we're digging more graves with our forks than any other tool..."

"...It takes the amount of material to cover the sharp end of a pen to cause mad cow disease in a human, and you've got anywhere between 200 and 1,000 different animals in one 4-ounce burger?" Lyman said. "Not a good idea to me..."

"...Lyman regularly travels the country speaking his simple message: If we don't watch what we feed ourselves, and how we utilize our planet, we're going to go just like the dinosaurs.

"The more I learned about it, the greatest feeling I had was knowing that no animal had to die for me to live," Lyman said. "But when I stopped and looked at it, my health, or the health of the animals, is insignificant compared to the health of the planet..."

Check it out!

[Mad Cowboy website, free Mad Cowboy e-Newsletter]

New Film Trailer: "What's "Organic" About Organic?"

"[This film]... rings the alarm for the need to develop an ecological consciousness.  The film illustrates that the organic food debate extends well beyond personal choice and into the realm of social responsibility.

Each of the film’s characters is intimately connected to the organic world; they’re farmers, activists, and scientists.  While many folks can easily endorse “organic,” the characters in the film take the discussion beyond just shopping for another eco-label. As we glimpse into each of their lives, we see how organic agriculture has the potential to solve many of our environmental and health problems.  The film will explore how organic farming can be used as a soil and air protection system, a healthy solution to toxic pollution, and an innovative means to combat global warming.

WHAT’S ORGANIC ABOUT “ORGANIC?” delves into the debates that arise when a grassroots agricultural movement evolves into a booming international market.  As the film moves from farm fields to government meetings to industry trade shows, we see the hidden costs of conventional agriculture.  We also see how our health, the health of our planet, and the agricultural needs of our society are all intimately connected.  The film compels us to look forward, towards a new vision for our culture and encourages us to ask, “What should our future food system look like?”

[Love the phrase: "conscientious consumption" from the trailer.  The "about" excerpt above is from the really kewl and resource-full website here.  Check it out and pass the URL around. Oh, and go low-fat vegan... been too busy harvesting, preserving, planting, watering to do much else than this quickie post... still slow in typing with finger recovering...]

New Surgeon General: Do as I Say (Not as I Do)

Obama just announced his pick for Surgeon General, and I've this nagging concern about her appointment.  Sure, she's got an impressive resume of achievements, motivation, compassion, and intelligence.  But, and I'm probably going to take some heat for this, is this enough?

"The president praised her [Dr. Regina Benjamin] as a "relentless promoter of prevention and wellness," and a New York Times profile of her work in Bayou La Batre called her an "angel in a white coat." She even won a prestigious "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation last year. There's no question she's an accomplished doctor familiar with the struggles of the poor and disadvantaged."  (from here).

Her role is to be the "Nation's Doctor."   Clearly she's qualified, has the chops to do this, and well.   So what's bugs me?

Dr. Benjamin, with all due respect, you are appear to be severely overweight.  Have seen the photos.  You've two, almost three, chins.  In your role as Surgeon General, you'll probably wail against obesity, the faux food that people consume that promote obesity and resulting related "diseases:"  heart, diabetes, Altzheimer's, cancer... and I've no doubt that you'll push hard to get the need for US citizens to eat heathy, exercise, and get healthy (and also, thereby reducing the incredible cost these "metabolic disorders" bring upon our economy, let alone, the personal & emotional impact upon individuals and families).  You'll also push for universal heath care, and I won't go into the irony of this in that those non-vegans are such an unnecessary burden on the health care "system."

But, Dr. Benjamin, again, with all due respect, what level of credibility does a significantly overweight (and as such, person of higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, Altzheimer's, and cancer) have with just "words?"  How can it be that you are so brilliant, so insightful, so caring, so giving, that you cannot find the discipline, personal will power, and self-examination to maintain a reasonable BMI?  You are a gifted doctor from a State (Alabama) that has an abysmal level of obesity and corresponding or related physical disorders.  Couldn't you muster the intestinal fortitude to keep your weight at a reasonably healthy level?  Can't you be "relentless" in "preventing" your own odds of dis-health in the future by dropping that weight?

Sure, one can "know the wisdom," "pontificate the wisdom," and not "follow the wisdom."  We are, after all, not perfect.  But then, isn't someone obese advising others to eat healthy, exercise, loose the excess weight, and live longer, not unlike an alcoholic lecturing on the evils of alcohol?  For what it's worth, when I see a 'fat' chef, I question the value/wisdom/nature/credibility of his/her "culinary skills."  If you are making healthy meals, you should, imho, be (and at least, appear) healthy.

Anyway, Dr. Benjamin, I sincerely do wish you well in your tenure and hope that you do great good in your role as largely a spokesperson for real health.  I also hope that you consider setting an example:  losing your excess and unhealthy body mass.  That would truly have a powerful positive inspiring impact, underscore the seriousness of your concerns,  and amplify the value, importance, and gravity, of your vital messages.  After all, aren't these your true goals?

...and better yet, why not go low-fat vegan?... and it'll be easy, effective, permanent, and have greater personal and social consequences than just personal or collective health.  The research is in, and the conclusions are obvious. 

One doesn't have to be a "genius" to understand, accept, embrace, and promote them.