I have some awesome news for the planet. The food and drinks the average person consumes are the single largest determining factor of their overall ecological footprint. Why is this good news? Because knowing this, it’s easy and affordable to make major improvements in one’s global impact. But what are the most ecological choices?
Local eating is the latest environmental buzz. People want to know how “green” their tomato is. Is it an island hopper with pages of stamps in it’s passport or is it a down home local from the farmer’s market.
I appreciate the efforts of "Locavores" to buy and eat regionally. Changing one’s diet is a noble, and often difficult pursuit. However, what few people realize is that in terms of eating carbon consciously, choosing a tomato is always a better option than choosing an animal product, regardless of the proximity in which it was produced. A closer look at production and distribution mechanisms behind local animal products reveals that they are far from being the “green superstars” many in the local food movement think they are.
While buying regionally grown and produced food is usually good for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, choosing a plant-based product over an animal product reduces our environmental impact significantly more.
A 2008 study in the Journal Environmental Science and Technology found that shifting less than one day per week’s calories from meat and dairy products to a vegetable-based diet achieves more green house gas reduction than buying all locally sourced food.
Local can be good. When we buy fruits and veggies grown on our area, we are eating more seasonally, supporting our local food co-ops and farmer’s markets and possibly reducing emissions. However, local is not always the more ecological option.
For example, a farmer that lives 50 miles from your house may travel many hundreds of miles throughout the week going from one farmer’s market to another to sell his veggies. In comparison, an organic farm a couple hundred miles away with a semi-truck and one route delivering directly from the farm to store can travel less miles, carrying much more produce, while producing fewer emissions. Scenarios vary, but the point is that local is not necessarily more ecological.
Upon deeper investigation into production, local animal products have far more environmental impact than a tomato with a tropical tan.
There is more to assessing the ecological consequence of a food product then the proximity in which it was grown or produced. The total production effect as well as energy and water needed to produce the product must be taken into account. When gauging the carbon footprint of food, transportation (or how ‘”local” the food is) is only 11 percent of the equation, while production is a stunning 83 percent.
Few people ever stop to ask where the feed for local farm animals come from. Animals raised for meat, dairy and eggs are fed soy, oats, alfalfa, corn etc. Feed crops are usually not grown locally. Even “grass-fed” cows are feed imported grain the majority of the year. Grain that could be going directly to people are shipped hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles to feed farm animals.
This is just the beginning of the ecological trounce that animal agriculture, “local” or otherwise, is inflicting on the health of our severely stressed planet. Here’s a look at some of the numerous other environmental problems that apply to the production of “local” animal products:
Global Warming-
According to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Committee, animal agriculture releases more greenhouse gasses than all the world’s transportation combined!1 A University of Chicago study recently revealed that switching to a vegan diet is actually more effective for climate change than switching to a hybrid car.
Water Waste and Pollution-
Enormous quantities of water is wasted on the grains grown to feed livestock, then huge additional amounts are used to water the animals, clean the equipment, etc. Producing 1 lb. of animal protein requires about 100 times more water than producing 1 lb. of grain protein.2
As for waste, one dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces as much solid waste as a city with around 411,000 residents.3 This waste concentrates on the farm and runs off into our groundwater polluting our waterways. Animal feed lots create more water pollution than factories and sewage treatment.4
Wasted Resources-
For every 1kg of animal protein produced, livestock are fed about 6 kg of plant protein. At present, the US livestock population consumes more than seven times as much grain as is consumed directly by the entire American population. Enough to feed the entire human population of the country five times.5
Energy Use-
Massive amounts of energy is wasted in the artificial environment of the factory farm, slaughterhouse and processing plant. Indoor environments, conveyor belts, milking machines, lighting, heating, mechanized slaughter process all require excessive energy. In fact, it takes eight times as much fossil fuel to produce animal products as it takes to produce plant food.6
Sadly, this is just a small taste of animal agriculture’s devastating ecological impact. So please, the next time you’re assessing a food’s ecological footprint, be sure to remember: organic is important, local is good, but vegan is best.
A plant-based diet is by far the most ecological dietary choice we can make.
For more information on animal agriculture’s environmental impact, check out: www.farmanimalprotection.org/fapp/environment.htm and
www.earthsave.org
Footnotes
1Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2006, pg. 272
2Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000, U.S. Geological Survey, Hutson, Barber, Kenny, Linsey, Lumia and Maupin, 2005
3US Environmental Protection Agency. ""Risk Management Evaluation for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations." US EPA National Risk Management Laboratory. May 2004: 7
4Profile of the Agricultural Livestock Production Industry United States Enforcement and EPA 310-R-00-002 Environmental Protection Compliance Assurance September 2000 Agency (2221-A) pg. 35
5Sustainability of Meat-Based and Plant Based Diets and the Environment, Pimentel and Pimentel From the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 78, No. 3, 660S-663S, © 2003, pg. 661, 662
6Energy Costs of Intensive Livestock Production, Roller, American Society of Agriculture Engineers, Cited in Diet For a New America, Robbins, pg. 376
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Top Ten Carnivore Questions (and Answers!)
My favorite encounters with customers at the vegetarian natural foods market where I work are those treasured moments when I can sneak in a little vegan education.
My daily mantra; “Are you finding everything ok?” The customer responds with, “Which ricotta cheese do you like?” I take a breath and remind myself to deliver the following information very gently and with a smile, “I personally don’t eat cheese, I’ve been vegan for 20 years.” They stare at me stunned, as if they would be less impressed watching the superhuman feats of Cirque Du Soleil. “Oh! Wow, that must be so hard!” I’ll say, “No, not at all. In fact, the benefits to my health, the animals and the planet has made being vegan a joy.”
What comes next is often predictable; the same questions come up over and over again. Whether these questions are meant to be sarcastic or not, they deserve a comprehensive, polite response.
So, here are some ideas to inspire your enthusiastic answer. Or if you are the questioner, now you don’t have to bug a vegan (just kidding- most of us actually love to talk about it!).
Question #1)
Where do you get your protein?
If I could have freed one animal from the factory farm for every time I have heard this question, I would have no need to write this. I’ve got to hand it to meat and dairy advertisers. They had a product to sell and that product was high in protein. They accomplished one of the greatest dupings of the public since the “smoking is good for you” campaign. They successfully scared us into believing that you must have animal’s protein (and lots of it) to survive, build muscle, have healthy babies and so on. It is simply not true. Plant protein is not inferior or even scarce. Plant protein is abundant and if you’re eating a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you’re getting plenty of it. In fact, most vegans get about one an a half times the RDA of protein.
Protein deficiency is virtually unheard of in the U.S., let alone in the vegan community. The only people in the U.S. with protein deficiencies are those with an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia, or people who are extremely poor. Essentially, people who are not meeting their caloric requirements. If you’re getting enough healthy calories, you’re getting enough protein. It’s that simple.
Also, there is no need to combine your amino acids by eating beans and rice in the same meal. The body “pools” them for you. The American Dietetic Association states that you can eat different amino acids at varying meals throughout the month and the body joins them together. So, there is no need to worry about protein on a vegan diet.
Question #2)
What DO you eat?
Everything else! There is a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian food out there. Shopping at natural food stores can open you up to a whole new world of delicious plant foods. I eat whole grains (beyond rice) like quinoa, millet and amaranth. There is also pasta, couscous, polenta, tempeh, seitan, a plethora of beans and of course, tofu as well as the abundant variety of veggies and fruits. I know a lot of people who say their diet has way more variety now that they are vegan.
Question #3)
We were meant to eat animals, it’s natural.
If it’s so natural, I invite you to hunt your prey as other “natural carnivores” do. Use your senses, sniff out your prey, hunt with the chase, plunge your teeth into the jugular and eat the raw, bloody flesh.
Or you can go in the garden and pick a strawberry and eat its raw, juicy flesh. Which would you choose? Do you salivate and think about dinner when you see road kill? We are not carnivores. We can survive and, as we are learning, thrive on an all plant diet.
We are evolving. We now live in houses, shit in toilets, freeze our food. Would any of this be considered “natural?” The more we learn about the abundant benefits of not eating animal products, the less “natural” they will seem.
Question # 4)
What’s the difference between killing plants and killing animals? Where do you draw the line?
Would you prefer to mow a lawn, or hit a dog with a baseball bat? We know inherently through observation of behavior that animals have the capacity to suffer and feel pain. It is the same way we know a baby feels pain. Pain is a lower brain stem function that all animals, including fish, equally posses. According to our scientific knowledge, it takes a central nervous system to feel pain. A cow or chicken or fish can suffer just as much as a dog. Unlike plants, animals scream when in pain and struggle to get away from oppression. A child knows to pet a rabbit and eat a carrot.
Some will argue that plants do feel pain. It has not been scientifically proven, but even if this were the case, a vegan diet would still cause the least suffering. If you eat animal products, you are actually killing more plants as the animals ate plants before slaughter. This wasted grain, that could be going directly to humans, is another excellent argument for veganism.
Question #5)
Aren’t your shoes leather?
Well, no. I don’t wear leather. But I don’t hold it against vegans who do. We are all striving to make personal choices that will improve our world. Striving is the key word here. Finding non-leather eco-friendly shoes is a full time job, I know! Perhaps someone has chosen to put their energy into avoiding animal products in their food, but not in their clothes. We have to pick our battles.
Ultimately, what the person is truly asking is “aren’t you a hypocrite?” Even the purest of vegans usually use some animal products. There is gelatin in tires and film. Some beer and wine use fish or eggs for clarification. White refined sugar uses the ground up bones from the slaughterhouse in the refinement process.
We do what we can, and avoiding meat, dairy and eggs is a noble endeavor. No matter what degree you take it to or what you wear on your feet.
We are all hypocrites to some degree. But if we are not setting our goals higher than we can actually achieve, then we become complacent. I would argue for hypocrisy over complacency.
Question #6)
If you were stranded on a deserted island, and all there was to eat were animals, would you?
I always love this one. First of all, how likely is this scenario? OK, I’ll play along. There are always plants to eat. Whether I have the animal instinct it takes to know where they are and which ones were not poisonous is another story. Salty seaweed is always a good option.
If I were desperately hungry, I would probably eat insects as some primates do. You might say, yuck! But have you ever skinned a rabbit before? Really yuck!
The answer to the question is yes. Reluctantly, I would do whatever I could to survive. But guess what, I am not on a deserted island. Quite the contrary, I am in a first world smorgasbord of vegetarian options. Thank goodness! I’d have gotten sick of the seaweed.
Question #7)
Indigenous people eat meat. Would you tell an Inuit to go vegetarian?
No, I would not. Their climate, location and circumstances force them to eat meat to survive. But we are not in the Arctic. We have an abundance of local, plant foods to choose from. Actually, our survival hinges on us, the first world, eating a more plant-based diet. Our livestock production spews greenhouse gasses, destroys rainforests, causes severe topsoil erosion, wastes vast amounts of water and pollutes what’s left. The whole planet’s survival hinges on how much we consume and destroy. A shift to a plant-based diet in the first world could vastly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reforest more than 600,000 acres of land in the U.S. alone and save the Inuit people.
FYI- The Inuit are some of the shortest-lived people on earth, with an average life expectancy of 40 to 50 years old. Maybe it’s the harsh climate or maybe… Also, the majority of the world’s ‘indigenous’ people, as in India and China for example, eat a mostly vegetarian diet, although that is unfortunately changing with the encroachment of the west into their cultures.
Question #8)
What about when you travel? It’s way to hard to stay vegan when traveling.
Whether you are traveling in the U.S. or Internationally, you can always find vegan food. You might have to dig a little deeper to find healthy options, but if you are persistent, staying vegan while traveling can be rewarding.
In the U.S., almost every major city has a health food store and a Chinese restaurant featuring at least one veggie and rice dish.
Most restaurants will create something for you if there is nothing vegan on the menu. I reluctantly joined my family at a steakhouse and had an excellent non-menu meal. The waiter gladly brought me a green salad, baked potato with margarine, and a mix of roasted veggies. Quite healthy and cruelty-free compared to what the rest of the table indulged in.
If the server seems reluctant, and I am unsure if they will be careful and honor my request, I will sometimes say it is for health reasons, like I’m allergic and could have a reaction. This often gets his or her attention.
If you are planning a trip, do a bit of research before you go. There are excellent websites, that offer information on natural food stores and veg-friendly restaurants in an area like www.happycow.net. Some cities might surprise you and have excellent of options. For example, a fabulous and internationally renowned vegan restaurant called Sublime resides in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Not exactly the hub of alternative living. One of the best co-op markets I have ever been to was in Lexington, Kentucky. They clearly labeled their wide array of vegan options in their bakery and deli.
Vegan treasures are hidden everywhere. Isn’t that one of the joys of travel- to find unknown pleasures and experience new things? We can do all this and still remain free of animal suffering.
Question #9)
I’m very athletic and need energy/protein. Aren’t vegans scrawny and weak?
There have been and still are many great vegetarian and vegan athletes who have accomplished amazing feats with their bodies. You can build muscle on any protein, animal or plant. There are even world champion vegan bodybuilders!
There is no nutrient in animal products that can’t be found in a superior plant source. Superior because plant foods are high in fiber, antioxidants and phyotochemicals, with no cholesterol or saturated fat, unlike animal products. Generally, when people are “feeling low energy” and think they need protein, they just need calories.
There is even a national organization for vegan athletes. The Organic Athletes host bike tours and other events. You can learn more at: www.organicathelete.org www.veganbodybuilding.com
Question #10)
Animals eat other animals, why shouldn’t we?
Actually, most animals are herbivores or omnivores. The animals used for food by humans are herbivores. Carnivores are the minority of animals. We are actually, physiologically omnivores. Omnivore means option. We can survive, for a while at least, eating almost anything (our modern standard American diet proves this to be true.) It is a handy survival tool that has helped us to spread into the farthest, most inhospitable corners of the globe. Most other animals don’t have a choice- we do. If we truly are the intellectually superior species, then we should act like it and cause the least amount of suffering possible to gain the greatest health for our bodies and the planet and adopt a plant-based diet.
My daily mantra; “Are you finding everything ok?” The customer responds with, “Which ricotta cheese do you like?” I take a breath and remind myself to deliver the following information very gently and with a smile, “I personally don’t eat cheese, I’ve been vegan for 20 years.” They stare at me stunned, as if they would be less impressed watching the superhuman feats of Cirque Du Soleil. “Oh! Wow, that must be so hard!” I’ll say, “No, not at all. In fact, the benefits to my health, the animals and the planet has made being vegan a joy.”
What comes next is often predictable; the same questions come up over and over again. Whether these questions are meant to be sarcastic or not, they deserve a comprehensive, polite response.
So, here are some ideas to inspire your enthusiastic answer. Or if you are the questioner, now you don’t have to bug a vegan (just kidding- most of us actually love to talk about it!).
Question #1)
Where do you get your protein?
If I could have freed one animal from the factory farm for every time I have heard this question, I would have no need to write this. I’ve got to hand it to meat and dairy advertisers. They had a product to sell and that product was high in protein. They accomplished one of the greatest dupings of the public since the “smoking is good for you” campaign. They successfully scared us into believing that you must have animal’s protein (and lots of it) to survive, build muscle, have healthy babies and so on. It is simply not true. Plant protein is not inferior or even scarce. Plant protein is abundant and if you’re eating a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you’re getting plenty of it. In fact, most vegans get about one an a half times the RDA of protein.
Protein deficiency is virtually unheard of in the U.S., let alone in the vegan community. The only people in the U.S. with protein deficiencies are those with an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia, or people who are extremely poor. Essentially, people who are not meeting their caloric requirements. If you’re getting enough healthy calories, you’re getting enough protein. It’s that simple.
Also, there is no need to combine your amino acids by eating beans and rice in the same meal. The body “pools” them for you. The American Dietetic Association states that you can eat different amino acids at varying meals throughout the month and the body joins them together. So, there is no need to worry about protein on a vegan diet.
Question #2)
What DO you eat?
Everything else! There is a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian food out there. Shopping at natural food stores can open you up to a whole new world of delicious plant foods. I eat whole grains (beyond rice) like quinoa, millet and amaranth. There is also pasta, couscous, polenta, tempeh, seitan, a plethora of beans and of course, tofu as well as the abundant variety of veggies and fruits. I know a lot of people who say their diet has way more variety now that they are vegan.
Question #3)
We were meant to eat animals, it’s natural.
If it’s so natural, I invite you to hunt your prey as other “natural carnivores” do. Use your senses, sniff out your prey, hunt with the chase, plunge your teeth into the jugular and eat the raw, bloody flesh.
Or you can go in the garden and pick a strawberry and eat its raw, juicy flesh. Which would you choose? Do you salivate and think about dinner when you see road kill? We are not carnivores. We can survive and, as we are learning, thrive on an all plant diet.
We are evolving. We now live in houses, shit in toilets, freeze our food. Would any of this be considered “natural?” The more we learn about the abundant benefits of not eating animal products, the less “natural” they will seem.
Question # 4)
What’s the difference between killing plants and killing animals? Where do you draw the line?
Would you prefer to mow a lawn, or hit a dog with a baseball bat? We know inherently through observation of behavior that animals have the capacity to suffer and feel pain. It is the same way we know a baby feels pain. Pain is a lower brain stem function that all animals, including fish, equally posses. According to our scientific knowledge, it takes a central nervous system to feel pain. A cow or chicken or fish can suffer just as much as a dog. Unlike plants, animals scream when in pain and struggle to get away from oppression. A child knows to pet a rabbit and eat a carrot.
Some will argue that plants do feel pain. It has not been scientifically proven, but even if this were the case, a vegan diet would still cause the least suffering. If you eat animal products, you are actually killing more plants as the animals ate plants before slaughter. This wasted grain, that could be going directly to humans, is another excellent argument for veganism.
Question #5)
Aren’t your shoes leather?
Well, no. I don’t wear leather. But I don’t hold it against vegans who do. We are all striving to make personal choices that will improve our world. Striving is the key word here. Finding non-leather eco-friendly shoes is a full time job, I know! Perhaps someone has chosen to put their energy into avoiding animal products in their food, but not in their clothes. We have to pick our battles.
Ultimately, what the person is truly asking is “aren’t you a hypocrite?” Even the purest of vegans usually use some animal products. There is gelatin in tires and film. Some beer and wine use fish or eggs for clarification. White refined sugar uses the ground up bones from the slaughterhouse in the refinement process.
We do what we can, and avoiding meat, dairy and eggs is a noble endeavor. No matter what degree you take it to or what you wear on your feet.
We are all hypocrites to some degree. But if we are not setting our goals higher than we can actually achieve, then we become complacent. I would argue for hypocrisy over complacency.
Question #6)
If you were stranded on a deserted island, and all there was to eat were animals, would you?
I always love this one. First of all, how likely is this scenario? OK, I’ll play along. There are always plants to eat. Whether I have the animal instinct it takes to know where they are and which ones were not poisonous is another story. Salty seaweed is always a good option.
If I were desperately hungry, I would probably eat insects as some primates do. You might say, yuck! But have you ever skinned a rabbit before? Really yuck!
The answer to the question is yes. Reluctantly, I would do whatever I could to survive. But guess what, I am not on a deserted island. Quite the contrary, I am in a first world smorgasbord of vegetarian options. Thank goodness! I’d have gotten sick of the seaweed.
Question #7)
Indigenous people eat meat. Would you tell an Inuit to go vegetarian?
No, I would not. Their climate, location and circumstances force them to eat meat to survive. But we are not in the Arctic. We have an abundance of local, plant foods to choose from. Actually, our survival hinges on us, the first world, eating a more plant-based diet. Our livestock production spews greenhouse gasses, destroys rainforests, causes severe topsoil erosion, wastes vast amounts of water and pollutes what’s left. The whole planet’s survival hinges on how much we consume and destroy. A shift to a plant-based diet in the first world could vastly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reforest more than 600,000 acres of land in the U.S. alone and save the Inuit people.
FYI- The Inuit are some of the shortest-lived people on earth, with an average life expectancy of 40 to 50 years old. Maybe it’s the harsh climate or maybe… Also, the majority of the world’s ‘indigenous’ people, as in India and China for example, eat a mostly vegetarian diet, although that is unfortunately changing with the encroachment of the west into their cultures.
Question #8)
What about when you travel? It’s way to hard to stay vegan when traveling.
Whether you are traveling in the U.S. or Internationally, you can always find vegan food. You might have to dig a little deeper to find healthy options, but if you are persistent, staying vegan while traveling can be rewarding.
In the U.S., almost every major city has a health food store and a Chinese restaurant featuring at least one veggie and rice dish.
Most restaurants will create something for you if there is nothing vegan on the menu. I reluctantly joined my family at a steakhouse and had an excellent non-menu meal. The waiter gladly brought me a green salad, baked potato with margarine, and a mix of roasted veggies. Quite healthy and cruelty-free compared to what the rest of the table indulged in.
If the server seems reluctant, and I am unsure if they will be careful and honor my request, I will sometimes say it is for health reasons, like I’m allergic and could have a reaction. This often gets his or her attention.
If you are planning a trip, do a bit of research before you go. There are excellent websites, that offer information on natural food stores and veg-friendly restaurants in an area like www.happycow.net. Some cities might surprise you and have excellent of options. For example, a fabulous and internationally renowned vegan restaurant called Sublime resides in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Not exactly the hub of alternative living. One of the best co-op markets I have ever been to was in Lexington, Kentucky. They clearly labeled their wide array of vegan options in their bakery and deli.
Vegan treasures are hidden everywhere. Isn’t that one of the joys of travel- to find unknown pleasures and experience new things? We can do all this and still remain free of animal suffering.
Question #9)
I’m very athletic and need energy/protein. Aren’t vegans scrawny and weak?
There have been and still are many great vegetarian and vegan athletes who have accomplished amazing feats with their bodies. You can build muscle on any protein, animal or plant. There are even world champion vegan bodybuilders!
There is no nutrient in animal products that can’t be found in a superior plant source. Superior because plant foods are high in fiber, antioxidants and phyotochemicals, with no cholesterol or saturated fat, unlike animal products. Generally, when people are “feeling low energy” and think they need protein, they just need calories.
There is even a national organization for vegan athletes. The Organic Athletes host bike tours and other events. You can learn more at: www.organicathelete.org www.veganbodybuilding.com
Question #10)
Animals eat other animals, why shouldn’t we?
Actually, most animals are herbivores or omnivores. The animals used for food by humans are herbivores. Carnivores are the minority of animals. We are actually, physiologically omnivores. Omnivore means option. We can survive, for a while at least, eating almost anything (our modern standard American diet proves this to be true.) It is a handy survival tool that has helped us to spread into the farthest, most inhospitable corners of the globe. Most other animals don’t have a choice- we do. If we truly are the intellectually superior species, then we should act like it and cause the least amount of suffering possible to gain the greatest health for our bodies and the planet and adopt a plant-based diet.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Our Science is Bigger Than Their Science
(Special thanks to my husband, Cogen, for his valuable assistance with this entry.)
We are in one of the most well informed societies ever, yet the majority of us have no idea how to analyze and understand the cornerstone of information in our modern age: science. There is pretty much a scientific study to prove anything, and a corresponding sucker who will believe it.
I know a young man who is adamant that all grains (refined or whole) are destructive to your health and insists you must have meat in your diet. His arguments are cogent, and he is knowledgeable on the subject citing a variety of authors and scientific studies. How can we argue with that? We can and we must because the vegetarian community actually has the weight of scientific truth on our side.
If one study, or even ten studies says something is so, does that make it a scientific fact? Our society is in need of a set of comprehensive skills that allow us to rigorously analyze scientific data and make informed judgments about the validity of the information. We need to ask critical questions such as: was this a peer reviewed, double blind study? Is it published in a reputable scientific journal? How many test subjects were there? Ten? One hundred? Tens of thousands (like the Harvard Nurses study, or the China Study for example). What is the duration of the study conducted? Even if all these factors are satisfactory, how many times was this study conducted with the same results? And perhaps most importantly, have the findings been accepted by major health organizations charged with the responsibility of analyzing all available data and presenting the public with a position?
It is important to consider who sponsored/funded the study as well. You can find lots of studies saying milk does a body good, but who paid for those studies? If you investigate deeply you will find that the dairy industry is behind much of this “research.” Likewise there are a plethora of studies showing that evolution is impossible, and global warming is a myth. But why do most reasonable people accept evolution and global warming as scientific truths? Because the majority of the scientific community has come to the conclusion that they are true. We must have a consistent standard that we apply to all science, regardless of our political prejudice.
For an analysis of nutrition, organizations such as the American Dietetic Association, The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, National Institute of Health and Sciences, etc. can be good sources. These organizations take hundreds, even thousands, of peer-reviewed, double blind studies, compiled over decades, and come to a collective conclusion based on these studies. Not surprisingly, they have all come to pretty much the same conclusion for nutritional recommendations. Unfortunately they lack the marketing power that food and supplement industries enjoy.
.
Simply put, every mainstream health organization recommends: A diet high in fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Bingo! A plant-based diet.
There is a reason mainstream health organizations are trying to get the public to eat more fruits, veggies and whole grains. Plant-foods are high in fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants, have no cholesterol and are generally low in saturated fat (with the exception of coconuts, palm kernel oil, and an insignificant amount in nuts and seeds). Conversely, animal products are high in both cholesterol and saturated fat, and are completely devoid of fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants.
So, contrary to the beliefs of my previously mentioned friend, actually, whole grains are a perfect staple food, meeting the nutritional recommendations of every major health organization in the U.S. Such organizations recommend that 50-60% of our calories come from carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, hence the base of the food pyramid. Despite our small (but growing) numbers, there is nothing “fringe” or “radical” about veganism; it is simply an extension of mainstream health recommendations.
There have been fad diets for years, Adkins, The Zone Diet, Eat Right for Your Type (don’t get me started on this fairy tale!) but they are backed by inadequate science (if any), or even pseudo-science, and are refuted by major health organizations. How do we know that global warming is real and is caused by carbon emissions? There are many studies to the contrary, but because the majority of scientists have come to this conclusion it is wise to accept their position. A similar analogy can be used for the findings of major health organizations with regards to nutrition.
So the next time someone is spouting facts and studies supporting something, check the science. Don’t just believe someone because they have letters after their name, or they are telling a story that sounds true. Be critical thinkers. Research and look into it. The truth is a powerful tool if we choose to utilize it.
For more information on health and the plant-based diet, go to www.farmanimalprotection.org.
We are in one of the most well informed societies ever, yet the majority of us have no idea how to analyze and understand the cornerstone of information in our modern age: science. There is pretty much a scientific study to prove anything, and a corresponding sucker who will believe it.
I know a young man who is adamant that all grains (refined or whole) are destructive to your health and insists you must have meat in your diet. His arguments are cogent, and he is knowledgeable on the subject citing a variety of authors and scientific studies. How can we argue with that? We can and we must because the vegetarian community actually has the weight of scientific truth on our side.
If one study, or even ten studies says something is so, does that make it a scientific fact? Our society is in need of a set of comprehensive skills that allow us to rigorously analyze scientific data and make informed judgments about the validity of the information. We need to ask critical questions such as: was this a peer reviewed, double blind study? Is it published in a reputable scientific journal? How many test subjects were there? Ten? One hundred? Tens of thousands (like the Harvard Nurses study, or the China Study for example). What is the duration of the study conducted? Even if all these factors are satisfactory, how many times was this study conducted with the same results? And perhaps most importantly, have the findings been accepted by major health organizations charged with the responsibility of analyzing all available data and presenting the public with a position?
It is important to consider who sponsored/funded the study as well. You can find lots of studies saying milk does a body good, but who paid for those studies? If you investigate deeply you will find that the dairy industry is behind much of this “research.” Likewise there are a plethora of studies showing that evolution is impossible, and global warming is a myth. But why do most reasonable people accept evolution and global warming as scientific truths? Because the majority of the scientific community has come to the conclusion that they are true. We must have a consistent standard that we apply to all science, regardless of our political prejudice.
For an analysis of nutrition, organizations such as the American Dietetic Association, The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, National Institute of Health and Sciences, etc. can be good sources. These organizations take hundreds, even thousands, of peer-reviewed, double blind studies, compiled over decades, and come to a collective conclusion based on these studies. Not surprisingly, they have all come to pretty much the same conclusion for nutritional recommendations. Unfortunately they lack the marketing power that food and supplement industries enjoy.
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Simply put, every mainstream health organization recommends: A diet high in fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Bingo! A plant-based diet.
There is a reason mainstream health organizations are trying to get the public to eat more fruits, veggies and whole grains. Plant-foods are high in fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants, have no cholesterol and are generally low in saturated fat (with the exception of coconuts, palm kernel oil, and an insignificant amount in nuts and seeds). Conversely, animal products are high in both cholesterol and saturated fat, and are completely devoid of fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants.
So, contrary to the beliefs of my previously mentioned friend, actually, whole grains are a perfect staple food, meeting the nutritional recommendations of every major health organization in the U.S. Such organizations recommend that 50-60% of our calories come from carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, hence the base of the food pyramid. Despite our small (but growing) numbers, there is nothing “fringe” or “radical” about veganism; it is simply an extension of mainstream health recommendations.
There have been fad diets for years, Adkins, The Zone Diet, Eat Right for Your Type (don’t get me started on this fairy tale!) but they are backed by inadequate science (if any), or even pseudo-science, and are refuted by major health organizations. How do we know that global warming is real and is caused by carbon emissions? There are many studies to the contrary, but because the majority of scientists have come to this conclusion it is wise to accept their position. A similar analogy can be used for the findings of major health organizations with regards to nutrition.
So the next time someone is spouting facts and studies supporting something, check the science. Don’t just believe someone because they have letters after their name, or they are telling a story that sounds true. Be critical thinkers. Research and look into it. The truth is a powerful tool if we choose to utilize it.
For more information on health and the plant-based diet, go to www.farmanimalprotection.org.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Cage-Free is not Cruelty-Free
Inspired by the overwhelming support and success of Proposition 2, a few chicken-huggers and I have formed a new group called the Farm Animal Protection Project (FAPP) www.farmanimalprotection.org. One of our areas of focus, the Cage-Free Sonoma County Campaign, continues the efforts of Prop 2.
I have been asked on a couple of occasions why we need to continue this work since Prop 2 passed. All the chickens are happy now and out of the cages, right? Wrong. There is still much work to do.
First, the law does not go into effect until 2015. To put it into perspective, 2015 is at the end of Barak Obama’s (hopefully) second term of office. Second, it only applies to eggs produced in California. Retailers and restaurants can still buy eggs, probably cheaper, from caged hens in other states. This is why it is crucial to encourage egg buyers to support California cage-free eggs.
While being a step in the right direction, cage-free does not mean cruelty-free. Most of these hens are still de-beaked, overcrowded, never see the sun or feel the earth under their feet, and then go to slaughter just like their brothers in the meat industry. Such abhorrent conditions apply to "cage-free" and "free-range" as well. To label eggs “free-range”, the only condition a producer is required to fulfill is to provide a 5’ by 5’ outdoor space for some portion of the day. This usually equates to a tiny, concrete, fenced slab for tens of thousands of birds.
Then there are the hidden atrocities at the hatcheries. Chickens in the meat and egg industry, conventional, organic and free-range alike, all come from hatcheries. Hundreds of thousands of baby male chicks are born to the egg industry. They are not profitable to be raised for meat, and obviously, they can’t lay eggs, so they are killed. These newly hatched baby chicks slowly suffocating by the trash bag full under the weight of their bothers. There are, at this very moment, tens of thousands of baby male chicks being mass slaughtered in unimaginably cruel ways, all for the cholesterol-laden egg.
So there is still a barnyard full of work to do to help fulfill the vision of Prop 2. Getting wholesale egg buyers to go cage-free and encouraging consumers to go egg-free will be the stepping stones needed to create a world where the gentle mother hen is free to scratch, peck, preen and live free of suffering. She asks so little and gives so much.
I have been asked on a couple of occasions why we need to continue this work since Prop 2 passed. All the chickens are happy now and out of the cages, right? Wrong. There is still much work to do.
First, the law does not go into effect until 2015. To put it into perspective, 2015 is at the end of Barak Obama’s (hopefully) second term of office. Second, it only applies to eggs produced in California. Retailers and restaurants can still buy eggs, probably cheaper, from caged hens in other states. This is why it is crucial to encourage egg buyers to support California cage-free eggs.
While being a step in the right direction, cage-free does not mean cruelty-free. Most of these hens are still de-beaked, overcrowded, never see the sun or feel the earth under their feet, and then go to slaughter just like their brothers in the meat industry. Such abhorrent conditions apply to "cage-free" and "free-range" as well. To label eggs “free-range”, the only condition a producer is required to fulfill is to provide a 5’ by 5’ outdoor space for some portion of the day. This usually equates to a tiny, concrete, fenced slab for tens of thousands of birds.
Then there are the hidden atrocities at the hatcheries. Chickens in the meat and egg industry, conventional, organic and free-range alike, all come from hatcheries. Hundreds of thousands of baby male chicks are born to the egg industry. They are not profitable to be raised for meat, and obviously, they can’t lay eggs, so they are killed. These newly hatched baby chicks slowly suffocating by the trash bag full under the weight of their bothers. There are, at this very moment, tens of thousands of baby male chicks being mass slaughtered in unimaginably cruel ways, all for the cholesterol-laden egg.
So there is still a barnyard full of work to do to help fulfill the vision of Prop 2. Getting wholesale egg buyers to go cage-free and encouraging consumers to go egg-free will be the stepping stones needed to create a world where the gentle mother hen is free to scratch, peck, preen and live free of suffering. She asks so little and gives so much.
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