SoulVeggie

Recipe(s): "Deep Kimchi" & Sauerkraut

It's really a conceptual rush to be making what appears to be a 3,000 - 4,000 year old recipe (or technique, if you will).  Last night I started my 4th kimchi effort.  The first two weren't bad, but combining the techniques of one recipe with the ingredients of the other, made for a superb batch that, after 7 days of lacto-fermentation, come out astoundingly well.

For years, I've wanted to make sauerkraut and kimchi, and only in the past couple of months did I have the homegrown ingredients, time, patience, and "wherewithall" to tackle them.  The process of non-yeast fermentation can been seen in most cultures, I had read so many testmonies to it's nutritional benefits, plus how easy and incredibly tasteful such products can be.

I'd grown a lot of cabbage.  Making sauerkraut is as simple as this:  salt and cabbage (and there variations using other vegetables, spices, etc.).  There are many recipes on the web, but essentially you just cut up cabbage, pound/mix it with salt until enough water is released to cover it, store, skim off the "bloom" daily, and wait two to six weeks (or more).  It's is unbelievable in taste, and I'll never buy the canned pasteurized stuff again.  It's like the difference between store bought and heirloom tomato, the later being light years further in taste (and probably nutritional profile).

There are some 180+ documented Kimchi recipes, some seasonal, some with different vegetables.  I opted for one with Chinese Cabbage (we call it "Napa" and I still have an incredible and hearty crop of them, as well as two kinds of Pak Choi, and Tat Soi growing even with snow and ice last week!).  After cutting up and soaking the cabbage for around 12 hours in a 3 gallon crock, I drained it all, saved the brine, and then added (per this recipe) 3x the amount (as I'm using over 6 lbs of cabbage):  spring onions, jalapenos, ginger, garlic, sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, no additional salt, some chili powder (no Korean hot pepper poweder nearby), enough water to cover, and mix thoroughly.

Now I'll be stirring it once or twice a day, adjust flavor if need (may add some additional chopped Pak Choi... my mixture is pretty strong right now), and when I get the "sourness" to the level I prefer, jar, put in 'frig (water or pressure canning would take out some of the beneficial microbes/nutrition/whatever).  Five to seven days!  It keeps for several months.

Here's photos (not all that great) of the kimchi first batch "nekkid," bottled, and then two images of my Pak Choi babies (click on thumbnails for larger images, all ©2009, by Mark Sutton):

Anyway, I urge everyone to look into lacto-fermention (it's raw and no added fat!).  So easy, especially with a food processor if you need to shred or dice.  The most recommended book on the topic, btw, is "Wild Fermention."  I haven't gotten my copy yet, but it's gotten quite a word-of-mouth buzz... almost as good as the buzz that comes from eating homemade sauerkraut and kimchi...

Dr. Cow's Cheese Nutritional Bull

Just read a post about Dr. Cow's Cheese from the generally nutritionally oblivious blogger at:

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/11/dr-cow-tree-nut-raw-vegan-cheese.html

The blogger wrote, quoting directly from the Dr. Cow's website, that the "cheese" is low fat.  Note that the product's website provides NO nutritional information on their products (just ingredients, why?).  How does she know it's "low in fat?"  She just posted some of the website text.  How useful!  What a fine bit of research in recommending this product.  She even had the audacity to claim she was posting the "complete nutritional info" regarding the cheese.

Bull$hit.  What's the fat and sodium content per serving?  Information not available.  I couldn't find it doing basic web searches.

The cheese?  It's basically ground up nuts.  And if mostly cashews, for example, than two tablespoons (1 ounce) would amount to 12 grams of fat.  I'm guessing twice as much for a normal serving of that "low fat cheese."  That's about a third of a day's worth of fat according to the American Heart Association (on a 2,000 calorie diet, 60 grams of fat per day), and a day's worth according to the guys who reversed heart disease through diet (Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn).

This kind of mindless parroting of a product's website PR without a little bit of research into the actual nutritional profile of a product being reviewed irritates the hell outta me.  Kathy should be ashamed by making such "low fat claims" and that she's either too lazy or doesn't care enough to do better.  IMHO, one shouldn't take ANY food product review seriously unless the reviewer has shown some respect for his/her readers and done the basic nutritional profile research and provided same.

Just because it tastes "gud" and the product's website says it's "healthy" isn't enough.  I'd like to think that most people are smarter than this.  And Dr. Cow is negligent in not providing nutritional information about their products.  Kat is negligent in buying into it.  It's NOT low-fat.  Can't be, judging from the ingredients list.

It's not the taste that matters, it's what's IN what you eat that does.  Read the labels.  Ignore the silly blogger.

Latest Mad Cowboy Newsletter - Rip Essy Interview/Recipes

Here's the Intro, Table of Contents, and a Direct Link to the latest Mad Cowboy Newsletter:

LINK:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/88

"10_19_09:  Engine 2 Interview, Mutant Milk, & SpiderVeg"

Howdy! Welcome to the 67th issue of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

In this issue we're proud to present a Mad Cowboy Interview with the amazing vegan firefighter/author, Rip Esselstyn. 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."  There's also three of his recipes for you to try!

Moving on further, there's articles about Mutant Milk, how saturated fat enables Altzheimer's, some surprising statistics on what we eat, Brainfood at the White House, a great new position paper by the ADA on the Vegetarian Diet, and more about that same diet reducing cancer risk.

Continuing in this edition, there's the intriguing proposal for a 50 year Farm Bill, 70 pages of solutions to our agricultural woes, the real cost of food, the new composting mandate in San Francisco, how animal abusers are losing, AETA is winning, new math contrasting a vegan diet with a carnivore's, and the Amazing SpiderVeg!

... 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/>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Here's hoping everyone is warm, and to quote Rip: "plant strong" this Winter!

Mark, MC editor/webmaster

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

00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: A Mad Cowboy Interview with Rip Esselstyn
02: Three Recipes from "The Engine 2 Diet"
03: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
04: Mad Cow Info Round-Up
05: Mutant Milk, Fat & Altzheimer's, US Fatter, What We're Eating
06: Brainfood, Veg Diet Reduces Cancer & Chronic Disease Risks
07: The Digital Vegan
08: 50 yr Farm Bill, Ag Solutions, Real Food Cost, Composting SF
09: Animal Abusers Lose, AETA Wins, Veg Math, Spider Veg!
10: Howard's Schedule
11: Quick Bytes
12: Closing Thoughts

Boo! Hiss! Scaring New Vegetarians about Protein

It's really disturbing to see a vegan blogger, when asked about becoming vegetarian, still groups foods into "protein" and "non-protein." [See: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/10/ask-kathy-can-i-go-veg-with-my-food.html]  This is such an amazing fallacy.  In a previous post (about the same blogger) I noted many non-legume, soy, and wheat gluten, sources of proteins in plants and grains (all vegetables, fruits, grains, etc., have protein, btw). 

IMHO, she should have told her it's not a big worry, and that a diet full of grains, legumes, and vegetables will be more than sufficient.  But to suggest that there are many non-soy, mainstream options on the Whole Foods shelves? Why not mention any good produce department as well?

Instead, promoting the myth about having to worry about protein is not giving good, reliable, or accurate advice to the would be newbie.  Here's some useful opinions:

"Should I be worried about getting enough protein on a vegetarian/vegan diet?  No, not as long as you're taking in enough calories. Official recommendations suggest that eating 8% of our daily energy as protein will provide an adequate amount. National and international recommendations for protein intake are based on animal sources of protein such as meat, cow's milk and eggs. Plant proteins may be less digestible because of intrinsic differences in the nature of the protein and the presence of other factors such as fibre, which may reduce protein digestibility by as much as 10%. Nevertheless, dietary studies show the adequacy of plant foods, as sole sources of protein as does the experience of healthy vegans of all ages... it is easy to see that plant foods can supply the recommended amount of protein as long as the energy requirements are met. The short answer is: "No, sufficient protein can be obtained by eating a variety of foods..."  [The International Vegetarian Union's FAQ]

"11. How do I get protein on a vegan diet?... "  Protein is an important nutrient required for the building, maintenance, and repair of tissues in the body... As long as the diet contains a variety of grains, legumes, and vegetables, protein needs are easily met."  [Dr. Neal Barnard, PCRM  in "Reversing Diabetes"]

"Myth #1: Plants are low in protein:  Plant foods are generally abundant in protein. For example, lettuce gets 34% of its calories from protein, and broccoli gets 45% of its calories from protein. Spinach is 49%. Cauliflower is 40%. Celery is 21%. Beans range from 23% to 54% depending on the variety. Grains are 8% to 31%. Nuts and seeds are 8% to 21%. Fruits are the lowest at around 5-8% on average.  If you wanted to suffer from protein deficiency, you’d either have to seriously restrict total calories (i.e. starve yourself), or you’d have to eat a really messed up, unbalanced diet like nothing but low-protein junk foods and certain fruits. But in those cases, protein deficiency probably won’t be your biggest risk.

Personally I’ve never met anyone suffering from protein deficiency in the USA, vegan or otherwise. The much greater risk (in the USA at least) is overconsumption of protein."  ["The Great Protein Myth."]

"Often when people consider going on a vegetarian or vegan diet, they are concerned about getting enough protein. Your diet cuts out all meat and dairy so how do people get protein?:  It's important to know that there is no such thing as protein deficiency if you're eating enough calories. If you look at the largest animals on the planet they get all the protein they need by eating green leafy vegetables. I talk about this in the book. Mother's breast milk is 5% protein. We as human beings can only use about 12 percent of our calories from protein. It's the one maco nutrient we cannot store. It's a non-issue as long as you're eating enough calories"  [Vegan Firefighter, Rip Esselstyn, author, "Engine 2 Diet"]

So, I'm hereby calling on Kathy to PLEASE stop with the continued promulgating of the fake and erroneous so-called "vegetarian" or "vegan" protein issue, and to stop emphasizing protein in any diet or from limited sources.  It's so wrong, unscientific, and negligent of dietary reality; it's not helping the cause and is instead, perpetuating an unnecessary anxiety for those considering a healthier, happier, and longer life through a vegan diet.  That they learn the truth is important, and what you wrote misses much of it. If you really care about helping people, then give them the "whole" story, and not just what sounds like corporate "Whole Foods" PR.

The Unconscious Cook & "Fat Equals Flavor"

Vegan Chef Tal Ronnen is "known for his convincing Oprah to try going vegan," but when a fav vegan blogger posted a video cooking recipe of his, I was stunned to learn more about his approach to vegan cooking.  An excerpt from the blog post:

"Tal Ronnen, the notorious chef that got Oprah to [try to] go vegan [and failed], shares his enticing, unexpected vegan dishes with everyone who relishes eating beautiful, flavorful, and filling food. In the Conscious Cook every recipe delivers on his promise to omnivores and foodies: “You won’t miss the meat.”" [but the added fat will still mess with your cardiovascular system]

Okay, I decided to check out Tal's video for "Chicken Scaloppini."  I won't embed it on my blog.  It's horrendous and I can't justify promoting his cooking and attitude. I've check out some of his recipes on Oprah's blog... bleech...  But here's the YouTube link cited by The D.B. and then my ad hoc comments/observations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9A3ahO_t_8 

Here's some comments and quotes about/from the video:

First of all, he's using Gardein Chicken Fillets, and I won't fault him for the ridiculous expense of spending $4 to $5 for 2.5 oz. of 11 grams of protein per serving (hell, you could get 4 lbs. of lentils or 3 lbs. of tofu for the same price).  See this post for more on protein issues.

Okay, in the video, he dredges the cutlets in flour, and FRIES them in OIL (fat).  Is excited that he can "cook it like a traditional protein."  Ignoring that there are many vegetable and grain sources of protein that don't need to be dealt with like "meat."  Figure at least two TBL of oil (probably more):  24 grams of fat.  It's so clever!  He's doing all the same things he would have done if the "protein" was "veal" or "chicken."

He makes a mushroom sauce.  About a half cup of Earth Balance processed goop is added (judging from the video, he doesn't say how much).  That's about 88 grams of fat.

We're already at a total of an estimated 112 grams of fat for a 4 serving dish.  He praises Earth Balance (which is essentially pure fat, and not a real food):

"A lot healthier than butter or margarine."  [not a helluva lot if you consider heart disease]

Then, in a classic moment, justifies using it:

"Fat equals flavor."  [what a narrow and addicted perspective... you are a slave to your taste for fat and probably oblivious of what even the conservative Feds say about fat ingestion and heart disease, diabetes, and obesity]

Fries the udon noodle cakes.  In oil.  Pouring oil over them.  Add another 2 TBL of oil here (I'm being kind):  24 grams of fat.  Running total:  136 grams of fat.  Then, this amazing statement, that tells me he has no idea as to what a healthy vegan diet is:

"Traditionally, people have focussed on creating low-fat vegetarian food.  And, ah, fat does equal a lot of flavor... so I've kinda taken the other approach in using really good and healthy fats.  So if you focus on the "center of plate protein" have have some really good fat, you have a vegetarian dish that is more fullfilling than something you might have eaten in the 70s, like a plate of steamed vegetables and a sandwich with hummus and sprouts, or something like that.  Hippie Food."

The chef is dietarily clueless.  I'm guessing around 30+ grams of unnecessary added fat per serving of his dish, which is ONE HALF of the total daily fat recommended by the Feds for a single person, and over 100 % of what Essy, Ornish, et. al. (the guys who reversed heart disease)  recommend is where's this is at.  Is "fulfilling" more important than promoting degenerative diseases via excessive fat consumption?

"Fat equals flavor?"  Tal says this a couple of times in the video. Even the American Heart Association would be disturbed by his attitude and approach.  And Esselstyn has shown you can lose your taste for fat.

Is Tal really that blind regarding consuming fat and heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and Altzheimer's?  The fat grams in his single dish are amazing...  But then, even ONE fatty meal messes with your blood vessels for over six hours.  The Discriminating Brute was so "discriminate" as to note that "Chef Tal" is known for his beautiful, flavorful, and filling food (at least the word "healthy" wasn't erroneously slipped in there).

Hell, I'd definitely go with (and relish) the "hummus and sprouts" sandwich and steamed vegetables he dismisses in the video as "hippie food" before eating his excessive heart-attack special added fat-ladden fried entree.  The "protein-centric" view he speaks of is also so retro and, with all due respect, nutritionally myopic.  No wonder Oprah went "off the vegan wagon" if this guy was advising her.  Hardly a whole foods and systems approach to diet.  "Fat equals flavor?"  What a shallow perspective of food preparation.

Fatty non-vegan recipes substituted with a "vegan meat" but still, with all the added fat, imho, are not any kind of achievement to praise.  The addiction continues.   Not really an impressive or "conscious" or "discriminating" concept.  Substituting a meat analog while continuing the excessive use of added oils common in "high end culinary cooking" is harding an advancement in health.  It's "unconscious" of dietary reality.  We're killing ourselves via added fat, sugar, and salt.  Tal's vegan recipe is pretty much as unhealthy as the non-vegan equivalent.

IMHO, a "conscious cook" would take the "health characteristics" of a meal into consideration and act accordingly.  Stop with the added oil and the dellusion that "fat adds flavor."  That's akin to saying to an alcoholic that "vodka adds life."  People are addicted to the taste of fat, salt, and sugar, and that's irrespective of their being vegan or not.  Don't cater to it.  Help them get past this... learn the subtleties of taste and flavor that are beyond gross fat... that would be conscious, compassionate, AND creative.  Not to mention, healthy.

Protein: Continuing the Myth & Ignoring Other Sources

I figured that by now, any reasonable vegan would know that the Myth about our needing to worry about where we get our protein is just, for the most part, a myth.

So here comes a blogger who's listing a "Top Ten Protein Sources" for vegans... claiming "power" and "resistence to disease" from said protein, and, while not mentioning what the recommended amount per day might be (which varies quite a bit from the more respected vegan nutritionists, to the WHO, to the overstated US Fed recommendations), proceeds to list these sources and their "protein" per serving amounts in grams (with no sense, again, of what the daily recommended total might be, and that it varies with age and gender):

• Tofu:  8 g
• Edamame:  4 g
• Soy milk/yogurt: 7 g
• Tempeh:  22 g
• Pea Soup:  8 g
• Whole Raw Nuts: 5 g
• Field Roast Vegan Sausage:  12 g
• Hummus:  2 tbl -- 1 g
• Spirulina Powder:  1 tsp -- 2 g
• Hemp Milk:  4 g

Now, I've no quibble with some of these being reasonable, although some are high in fat (as the blogger notes), but here's my ad hoc "TOP TEN" list, showing how narrow those recommendations are, and how that blogger's post stokes the myopic illusion that tofu, beans, and nuts focus are the only ways to meet your protein needs (stats source):

• 1 serving broccoli (cooked):  8 g (more than, or equal to EIGHT of that top ten )
• 1 baked potato:  7 g  (more than, or equal to SIX (almost eight) of that top ten)
• 1 cup brown rice:  5 g  (more than, or equal to FIVE of that top ten)
• 1 cup quinoa:  8 g  (more than, or equal to EIGHT of that top ten)
• 1 cup millet:  6 g   (more than, or equal to FIVE of that top ten)
• 1 cup chard (cooked):  3 g   (more than, or near FOUR of that top ten)
• 1 cup turnip greens and chopped turnips (cooked):  5 g  (more than, or equal to FIVE of that list)
• 1 cup kale (cooked):  2 g (beats the hummus and spirulina powder)
• 1 cup rye:  25 g (tops EVERYTHING on that top ten list)
• 1 cup of buckwheat:  23 g  (tops EVERYTHING on that top ten list)
• BONUS:  1 cup cornmeal:  9.9 g  (tops EIGHT of that top ten)
• EXTRA BONUS:  2 slices homemade whole wheat bread:  8 g
• EXTRA EXTRA BONUS:  1 serving whole wheat spaghetti:  7 g
  

And get this, what I've listed above, for the most part, have less fat, contain more useful nutrition (broccoli in particular), maybe fiber, higher quality, similar quantity of protein, and are generally cheaper.  What's not to like?

In any case, here's a link to an excellent article by Dr. McDougall about the topic of "protein," and here's a link to a "high" mainstream view of protein RDA.):

Finally, the the address of the post I'm discussing (said blogger won't let me link from here to there, for some inexplicable reason):

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/10/get-more-vegan-protein-power-up-top-ten.html

Bottom line:  sure, you get get protein from nuts, beans, seeds, algae.... but don't forget that you can also get it from a variety of vegetables and whole grains.  To suggest, omit, or imply otherwise, just promotes a mind-set and ignorance that the Meat/Dairy Food Corporations (and some bloggers) encourage to our nutritional detriment.

NOTE 8 hrs. later: comments were inadvertantly turned off (bad new TypePad interface).  They are back on.

Probiotic Health Claims Dismissed (finally...)

I've noted many vegan (and non-vegan) bloggers extolling the wonders of "probiotics," in drinks, yogurts, to freeze-dried nonsense.  I've been amazed at the number of health claims made and how little (if any) are substantiated (not unlike that of the "foreign tropical fruit with anxiodant of the day" childishness).  The focus on a single micronutrient, to the exclusion of synergic interactions in the original source with other substances, is, imho, narrow-minded.

The European Union has weighed in on the matter in a rather significant way.  It's also important to note that, unlike in the U.S., since there's universal health care, it's in the government's interest to (a) get serious about health claims and (b) try to help people be as healthy as they can (one of the reasons there's often less salt and sugar in the SAME food product produced and sold in the U.S., then shipped to the EU).

Here's an excerpt from the article of interest (full article HERE and below):

General health claims for "probiotic" drinks and yogurts have been dismissed by a team of experts from the European Union.  Their opinions will now be voted on by an EU Committee which is drawing up a list of permitted health claims.  Scientists at the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) looked at 180 health claims for the supplements.  They rejected 10 claims and said a further 170 had not provided enough evidence of their effects...

EFSA is reviewing all health claims made for food products following the introduction of a new EU law in 2006 which stipulated that all medical-sounding marketing claims must be verified.  The European Commission will eventually consider the list drawn up by the EU committee and develop legislation which will be voted on by member states..."

THE TAKE-AWAY MESSAGE:  don't believe any health-related claims without reasonable and sourced evidence.  People blogging nutritional advice without without doing so are probably altogether too trusting of probable food company hype (and quotes from a company's website).  With the Internet and various search engines, there's just no excuse not to take a few minutes and see what the truth or probable truth is... and always, "follow the money."

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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.]

"Newman's Own Organics Dark Secret"

It's really ironic when a superb vegan chef, who's created some marvelous no- and low-fat vegan recipes, actively promotes (and does a giveaway to drive more traffic to her site) a product that, on the surface, seems to be reasonably healthy and good, but is, in fact, far from both.  However, since they sent her a free box of stuff to review, guess that's okay.

The blogger is giving away 3 "Newman's Own Premium Dark Chocolate Bars" at random to people who leave a comment on her post.  They get an extra "entry" for Tweeting or Blogging about her post.

But the blogger hasn't bothered to either seek or note the nutritional breakdown of these junk bars (hey!  they're ORGANIC... that MUST be good).  So let's take a peek at the Nutritional Analysis of one of these puppies (Newman's own doesn't bother to provide the RDA percentages at their website):

1) FAT:  28 grams of fat (that's double to over the total recommended per day by the guys who've reversed heart disease, Ornish and Esselstyn), and about half recommended per day by the Feds.  It's also 16 grams of saturated fat, and that's 100% of the total daily saturated fat (a heart disease promoter) recommended for women by the Feds.

2) SUGAR:  16 grams.  That's 2/3 of the TOTAL sugar recommended per day by the American Heart Association for women (25 grams), and about 1/2 of the TOTAL recommended per day for men.

Newman's Own Dark Secret:  that chocolate bar is a very effective fat/saturated fat/sugar delivery vehicle for inviting heart disease, let alone, obesity and diabetes...  Even ONE high fat meal is tough on your arteries.  Such a gracious giveaway... giving people a chance to win a free chocolate bar, and ultimately, giving three people a greater chance for heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

However, to keep getting vegan freebies, one must not worry about all that fat/sugar stuff.  It's someone else's decision to eat the stuff... all that matters is promoting more blog traffic to get more freebies, which will, in turn, promote more blog traffic!  An endless cycle...

But then hey, a free organic heart attack is better than one that's not, right?

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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