SoulVeggie

What's in Your Milk?

"...rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) is a genetically engineered, potent variant of the natural growth hormone produced by cows. Manufactured by Monsanto, it is sold to dairy farmers under the trade name POSILAC. Injection of this hormone forces cows to increase their milk production by about 10%. Monsanto has stated that about one third of dairy cows are in herds where the hormone is used.  Monsanto, supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), insist that rBGH milk is indistinguishable from natural milk, and that it is safe for consumers. This is blatantly false: rBGH makes cows sick. Monsanto has been forced to admit to about 20 toxic effects, including mastitis, on its Posilac label.

*rBGH milk is contaminated by pus, due to the mastitis commonly induced by rBGH, and antibiotics used to treat the mastitis. *rBGH milk is chemically, and nutritionally different than natural milk. *Milk from cows injected with rBGH is contaminated with the hormone, traces of which are absorbed through the gut into the blood. *rBGH milk is supercharged with high levels of a natural growth factor (IGF-1), which is readily absorbed through the gut. *Excess levels of IGF-1 have been incriminated as a cause of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. IGF-1 blocks natural defense mechanisms against early submicroscopic cancers. *rBGH factory farms pose a major threat to the viability of small dairy farms. *rBGH enriches Monsanto, while posing dangers, without any benefits, to consumers, especially in view of the current national surplus of milk.

Of still greater concern, based on 37 published scientific studies as detailed in the book, excess levels of IGF-1 in rBGH milk pose major risks of breast, colon and prostate cancers."

[From the press release for the new book, "What's in Your Milk?" by Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, here and below.  Perhaps the Yahoo vegetarian_group moderator, Donna, who routinely edits out (without telling anyone) negative comments about milk, cheese, and eggs in posts to her group, should get a copy.  BTW: at Epstein's website you can also learn about the UN, European countries, and Canada banning US milk and the use of rBGH.]

One Year Blogging...

Wow.... it's been one year since I started my "Soulveggie" blog.  The learning curve was tough, and working with TypePad is "sweet'n'sour" at times.  However, one of the compelling reasons to use this service is the ability to attach key words to any blog post.  That enables a reader to select a "Category" from the key words "Category Cloud" (lower right) to get a listing of all the posts with that key word associated with it.  Many thanks to Internet Guru Charlie Lindahl (aka "CyberChuck) for his insightful recomendation that this is a most useful (and necessary) capability.  Would that "Blogger" had the same.

As there's a limit as to how many "current posts" can be listed in the Side Bar to the left, I thought it'd be fun to put together a list of a personal "top ten" of my posts (which may change ocassionally).  Like chosing a favorite child amongst many (check out August and September 2005).  Clearly I was more essay-driven back when I started then (indeed, I have a list of over 55 essays "to write"), but life's circumstances the past several months (moving, caretaking a 150 year old property/farm, various projects) has meant that more of my posts then intended have been links or cites to other articles, blogs, videos, and the like.  Still, they seem to be enjoyed by many.

Anyway, I do plan to start writing more essays, though, post some pictures of my gardening efforts (amongst it all.. literally 150 heirloom tomato plants) and various cooking efforts (ironic... owning over 300 veg'n cookbooks there's not a picture of any meal I've made yet).  Lofty goals.  But, the bottom line is:  I'm thoroughly encouraged by the positive and wonderful advice from so many who've contacted me, offered suggestions, and expressed enthusiasm. Because of y'all, this experiment will continue!

...time to go harvest some tomatoes, okra, peppers, zukes, cukes, corn, and swiss chard... harvest a rainbow; eat a rainbow!  Best veg'n regards and thanks to everyone, Mark

What is a Normal Diet?

"People have no idea what they're really eating. They think it's normal to have blueberry bagels made with antifreeze. That's one of the ingredients in blueberry bagels, and you can find it right there listed on the package. Look for polypropylene glycol. That's antifreeze... People accept this as normal because that's what everybody else is doing, not because it's actually normal for the human body to process these substances. They think it's all okay because that's what has been made standard by the marketing and advertising of the food industry."

..."So, one soft drink a day is less healthy than no soft drinks a day. One soft drink a day makes a difference; it makes you less healthy. In fact, it causes a lot of problems for your pancreas and blood sugar. A soft drink a day promotes diabetes and obesity. It can promote blood sugar imbalances, mood swings; violent, aggressive behavior (especially in young males), and nutritional deficiencies, especially the B vitamins, which are extremely important for your cardiovascular system and nervous system health. In my view, one soft drink a day, even though the soft drink companies say you can consume it in moderation, takes you away from what is healthy. A healthy human diet does not consist of soft drinks, nor does it consist of Big Macs, french fries or processed, homogenized, pasteurized milk from cows. That is not a normal part of the human diet."

..."But for the rest of us who wish to live beyond the norm, there's veganism. It's the diet of the few intelligent, lucid, advanced human beings who now inhabit this planet....  There's no doubt you'll find, as have millions of others, that avoiding animal products, processed foods and manufactured foods, while consuming fresh, organic produce from nature, is the surest path to health, vitality, longevity and lucidity."

[The superb and well-written essay/rant on "diet normality" with link to the original source below... Nice breakdown of why to go vegan or, at least, vegetarian.]

Veg Group Censorship II

It's really unfortunate when the owner of a group (vegetarian_group at Yahoo Groups) believes it's ethical to selectively edit posts to her List and not tell the group or poster.  Apparently, the owner also edits out discussions about how unhealthy milk and dairy are, not wishing to offend those who drink/eat the stuff.  Someone wrote concerns about a recipe posted with 10 eggs, a cup of butter, and a cup of whole milk (the nutritional highlights) and got criticized. What's even worse is that expressing surprise at tese covert actions via private e-mail can get one banned without notice and explanation.  IMHO, groups that are moderated by such hidden censorship should be avoided... until the moderator(s) at least let would be and existing members know the real score.

[08/20/06 Addendum:  I've had a bunch of feedback on the above post.  Thanks to everyone!  Wonderful to know that so many people 'get it.'  My general responses below.]

Howard & Mark Photos

Howard Lyman ("The Mad Cowboy") was back in the DC area a week ago and stopped by.  Here's 2 versions of a rare photo of us together.  Click on thumbnails for larger versions. 

10/11/07 Addendum: have lost around 15 lbs. since that photo!  Been following Dr. Esselstyn's "no added fat' regimen for near 8 months now.  Feeling great.

08/19/09 Addendum:  new picture taken of me (self photo) posted here.  It was shot in late July 2009 and from 2.5 years or so on Esselstyn's recommended diet.

What's Really in Pet Food?

Awhile back, the Mad Cowboy (Howard Lyman) asked me to put together a webpage of links to information about what's really in pet food, pet nutrition, vegan alternatives, and so on.  This morning I needed to change some links.  I remembered how utterly shocked I was to learn about "rendering" and what pet food is generally made of..  Here's two links of interest to help others learn the same:

(1) a marvelous and detailed article about "what's really in pet food" by the Animal Protection Institute. can be found HERE, and (2) Mad Cowboy's "Vegan Pets Info and Resources:" HERE.

Marinara Madness

Several years ago from dining at the "Macaroni Grill" in Dallas, Texas, I had one of the worst experiences of my life.  With wine, appetizers, salad, and garlic bread, I ate the "Pasta with Marinara Sauce" having earlier assurance from the waiter that it was vegetarian.  Hours later at home the fun began: hot and cold flashes, incredible gastronomic pain, headaches, vomiting.... and the awareness that clearly, the human body is hard-wired to to point out when you've eaten something you should never eat again.

When enough symptoms subsided so that I could speak,  I called the restaurant and asked for the manager.  "The sauce is vegetarian," he insisted.  "Let me talk to the Chef," I asked. A few minutes later: "Chef, tell me exactly how you made this sauce."

Heart Goes "Bam!"

Been housesitting a menagerie for some friends this week, and not having cable at home, it's been interesting (and frightening) to see what's on.  Last night I bumped into popular Chef Emeril Lagasse.  The show was taped in 2001, and it was showcasing the results of a contest he'd had in which children from around the country vied to have Emeril come to their school and "kick up the meals a notch."  Aside from the word "notch" being used at a rate of about 10 per minute by everyone on camera, I managed to stomach about 15 minutes of the show before looking for "SpongeBob."  These days Emeril's catch word is "Bam!" after adding an excessive amount of some "new" ingredient to a dish.

Emeril was in Podunk, North Dakota, and he was showing this unbelievably nerdish young teen and her sister how to make breakfast. And what a fine meal it was!  Twisted bacon ("Ummm, that bacon fat tastes sooo good," intoned Emeril).  French Toast made with eggs... by itself almost reasonable for non-vegans, but Emeril "kicked it up a notch" by slathering cream cheese between two slices before frying the killer caloric mess in butter.  I could live with that, remembering how I used to eat decades ago, but it was Emeril's answer to one of the little girls asking him why he loves Pig Fat so much that did me in.

"Well," Emeril said (a bit out of breath - when you're overweight, cooking is exhausting), "it tastes good.  And... I think it's good for your skin!" he winked.  Well, there you have it.... another reason to eat an animal smarter than most dogs (and possibly some Chefs).

Like...MOOO....man...

[excerpted]: "Cattle-breeders in Russia’s Urals will feed cows with confiscated marijuana over the cold winter months, Novye Izvestia daily reported.  Drug workers said they adopted the unusual form of animal husbandry after they were forced to destroy the sunflowers and maize crops that the 40 tonnes of marijuana had been planted among.

“There is simply no other way out. You see, the fields are planted with feed crops and if we remove it all the cows will have nothing to eat,” a Federal Drugs Control Service spokeswoman for the Urals region of Sverdlovsk told the paper. But he stressed that he does not know what the milk will be like after such unusual fodder."

Link: Russia to Use Pot as Cow Feed

Hey, does this work?

Okay.... taking the plunge.... let's post something and see if all the settings, multitude of webpage "screens" with options I kind of understand do any good.

Remember, this is only a test......