SoulVeggie

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.

"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 for 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.

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?

Meat/Dairy "Ups" Prostate Cancer Risk

"Eating meat and dairy products may increase the risk of prostate cancer, research suggests. Such a diet raises levels of a hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) which promotes cell growth.  A University of Oxford team examined the results of 12 studies, featuring a total of nearly 9,000 men. They found men with high blood levels of IGF-1 were up to 40% more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with low levels. The study appears in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine...  Lead researcher Dr Andrew Roddam said the degree to which diet influenced IGF-1 levels was unclear.  But he said levels could be up to 15% higher in people who ate a lot of meat and dairy products."

[Full article here and below.  Also, check out the issue of hormones in cows/milk and the relationship to IGF-1 here, check out Robert Cohen's constant writing about this at NotMilk, and also note what T. Colin Campbell has said about the same, author of "The China Study," history's largest study of diet.  Going vegetarian isn't enough... go vegan!]

Ben/Jerry's & Breast Milk/Chez Ignorante

"... PETA dispatched a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of ice cream icon Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace the cow's milk in their products with human breast milk. PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves. PETA points out to Cohen and Greenfield that such a move on their part would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health at the same time."

[Love it.... here's the full press release  with a lot of good stats (and below), and, note my somewhat "prescient" rumminations in a previously posted essay:  "The Milk Cellar at Chez Ignorante."  I'm stunned.... the concept/issue is actually going mainstream... way kewl...]

Your Kitchen as a BioLab & Composting

I flashed back to two memories recently:  Dr. Greger noting that the CDC's recommendations for a safe kitchen resemble a "biohazard lab's" rules and regs, and the issue of a vegan composting.

Let me explain:  in the first place, I interviewed Dr. Greger last year and he noted that, if you are eating meat and dairy, there are many guidelines issued by the CDC (and also the FDA) to keep you from cross-contaminating, getting food-borne illnessess, and eating bad stuff.  I just LOVE the concept:  as a vegan, my kitchen isn't a "biohazard lab."  Sure, I clean my cutting boards, the counter, etc., but I don't have to worry about anything other than proper cleaning of my produce.  No meat juices; no moldy or disease-ridden dairy.  The 24 hr. flu (people, it ain't flu... it's food poisoning) won't happen here.

Furthermore, I remembered when power went out a few years ago for three days in Maryland, neighbors were freaking and couldn't understand why I wasn't worried about the food in the 'frig.  I had to point out, smiling:  no meat, no dairy, no big deal.

Recently, a carnivorous friend was commenting on my "compost bucket" outside the back door of the kitchen.  His wife has coached him on what he can and cannot put into the "passive compost pile" they have.  In mid-conversation he paused, and then said, obviously surprised, something to the effect of, "Hey!  everything you eat can go into the compost pile."

Yup... and none of it will ever be a serious biohazard, either.  A vegetarian couldn't say that.  Anyway, here are some fun links:

The FDA's "Can Your Kitchen Pass the Food Safety Test?"
FDA Advice for "Mother's To Be."
FDA Advice on "Preggy Mom's Food Safety for Meat, Poultry, and Seafood"

Go Vegan!  The ultimate composting non-biohazardous environmentally sustainable, safe, healthy, and animal-friendly diet...

"Mad Cowboy Lecture: 2007" - Excerpts & a Review

[It's finally available... the new "Mad Cowboy DVD." I've also posted two 3 min. segments from the beginning and Robert Cohen, aka the "NotMilkman" has graced us with an exclusive review of the DVD.  Enjoy!

1st 3 minutes:

2nd 3 minutes:

My apologies if the videos aren't as smooth as they could be... I had limited time and notification to pull this off. Actual footage is of high professional quality from a 3-camera shoot. The larger versions of the two segments are here:  PT01, PT02.  Hope to find time in the near future to figure out the compression issues.  Also, you can learn more about the DVD at www.madcowboy.com... and Go Vegan!]

This is Your Brain on Milk

A study of near 1500 people suggesting that high-fat consumption of milk in mid-life leads to global cognitive disabilities was noted today by the always intriguing NotMilkMan's daily column: 

"PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Participants of the CAIDE study were derived from random, population-based samples studied at midlife (1972, 1977, 1982 or 1987). After an average follow-up of 21 years, a total of 1449 (72%) individuals aged 65-80 years participated in the re-examination in 1998. 

RESULTS: Abundant saturated fat intake from milk products and spreads at midlife was associated with poorer global cognitive function and prospective memory and with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment..."

"...The CAIDE study originated at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The CAIDE acronym comes from Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) project... the Karolinska Institute is the place from which Nobel Prizes are awarded..."

You can read the full article by Robert Cohen here or below. Yet another reason to eschew milk and dairy products. Live longer & smarter... Go vegan.

Mad Cowboy Holiday Msg., Hummers/Nuggets, Chimp Wits

Intro, t.o.c., and direct link, to the latest MC Newsletter:

Howard's Holiday Msg., Hummers/Nuggets, Chimp Wits

"Welcome to the 61st Edition of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter!

We've a special holiday message from Howard as well as a significant change to the Vegan Mind-Poser Contest.  There's also two great recipes from Robin Robertson's fine new vegan cookbook, "Quick-Fix Vegetarian," new studies about the impact of grains and beans on heart disease, the issues regarding too much sodium in the average diet, and a clear relationship between food additives and hyperactivity in children.

Further down, there's research linking red meat and dairy to a specific cancers, beans lowering cholesterol, and a new report about McDonalds and children's dietary habits.  You can also peruse our "Mad Cow Round-up" and "Bird Flu News" collections, read an excellent essay by Bruce Friedrich on Veganism and the Environment, learn just what's under your feet, why it's getting difficult to seperate other species from us, about a "Compassion Over Killing" winning campaign, and then take a break in our "Vegan Digital Theater Showcase."

... and, as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers.  Y'all can read past issues of the newsletter at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Best Wishes to All for a Happy New Year!

Mark, MC editor/webmaster

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

00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: A Holiday Letter from Howard
02: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
03: Recipes from a New Vegan Cookbook
04: Mad Cow Info Round-up
05: Bird Flu News
06: Too Much Salt, Americans Fatter, Kids/Additives & McMktg.
07: Grains & Beans vs. Heart Disease, Dairy/Red Meat=Cancer
08: Vegan Digital Theater Showcase
09: Under Feet, Bird Declines, Gulf Dead Zone, Toxicity Hypocrisy
10: Censored Stories, Hummers/Nuggets, Activist Win, Chimp Wits
11: Howard's Schedule
12: Quick Bytes
13: Closing Thoughts"

Woman Sells Breast Milk

[It's not often that I get to feel "prophetic" these days, but once in awhile a doozy comes up.  The following article was published today about a mother taking out an ad to sell her leftover breast milk.  Ironic that the "common" response is something on the order of "eeewwuuuuu."

"Woman takes out newspaper ad to sell breast milk
November 1, 2007

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - A woman who doesn't want her breast milk to go to waste has taken out a newspaper ad in hopes of selling it. Twenty-2-year-old Martha Heller of Tiffin, took out the ad in The Gazette, offering 100 ounces of her breast milk for $200 or the best offer. Heller says her freezer is overflowing with breast milk that she's pumped since August. Her 4-month-old daughter won't drink from a bottle and the supply is piling up.  Experts say breast milk can generally be stored in a freezer for up to six months. Don McCormick is with the Iowa Department of Public Health. He says he isn't aware of laws in Iowa restricting the sale of breast milk, but state health officials advise against it."

[ Now, note the "satire" I wrote many moons ago about "The Milk Cellar at Chez Ignorante." Tres amusante! When you think about it, why should people be shocked?  Human mother's milk is the real stuff and not from a hormone-infused genetically-modified bovine.  Which would you rather have?  Then there's that pesky matter of all those pus cells (which are concentrated in cheese)...  Give up dairy. Go vegan. Cow's milk is for baby cows. Period.]