Living Without Meat

Relating to what I wrote yesterday, here is an example of how my beating wings are beginning to spread compassion and knowledge. This is a column written by my co-puzzle editing, officemate Karen Powell for one of our upcoming books:

In honor of the newest addition to our editing staff, Sally Andersen (Go ahead, check out her name in the table of contents), I’m dedicating this column to vegetarianism and veganism. Sally is a vegan, while I still languish in the land of carnivores. While I can’t do without my occasional batch of fried chicken, Sally makes sure that no animal product passes her lips. Vegans are often treated like the outcasts of society because of their choice. Their requests for animal-free foods sometimes get the same patronizing stare as someone who is on a diet. Vegans don’t closely examine their food to annoy us — I’d say that the majority feel they are doing their part to help animals. Others may feel queasy at the thought of eating anything that had a face. But they certainly are not crazy. In fact, there are many prominent folks who are vegetarian or vegan.

Vegetarians eat no meat, but may still consume products that come from animals, like cheese, honey, and milk. Vegans eat nothing that comes from an animal. Some famous vegetarians and Vegans are: Leonardo da Vinci, Bea Arthur, Confucius, Ed Asner, George Bernard Shaw, Danny DeVito, Alice Walker, Clint Eastwood, Charlotte Bronte, Tobey Maguire, Cesar Chavez, Demi Moore, Ringo Starr, Leonard Nimoy, Joaquin Phoenix, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sellers, and William Shatner. And that’s just a small list.

These days, it’s almost impossible to go anywhere and not bump into a vegetarian. It’s no wonder — these days, businesses are starting to wake up to the fact that there are a lot of them out there! Supermarkets and restaurants now offer food that is prominently labeled “animal-free.” And this food isn’t the gunky horror that inspired countless newspaper comic characters to laugh at the concept of tofu. Nutritious, filling meals that contain yummy staples such as beans, lentils, or couscous are appetizing to even the most determined steak eater. Vegetarians and vegans aren’t condemned to rabbit food when there’s a wide assortment of food choices out there. And thanks to soy, milk lovers can enjoy a glass without worrying about animal rights. You might be surprised at how much you eat already is vegetarian-friendly, or can be easily substituted for a meat-free version.

Making the leap to an animal-free diet might not be such a big step after all. But still, it’s a choice. Sally doesn’t have me throwing away my fried chicken just yet, but it’s great to know that are plenty of other great foods out there that doesn’t require harming an animal.

Are you a vegetarian or vegan and have some great recipes or tips to share? Send correspondence to Karen’s Corner, c/o Kappa Publishing Group, Inc., P.O. Box 750, Ft. Washington, PA 19034.

…and so the tornado begins.

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People love to point out to me that I am never going to turn everyone in the world into vegetarians. I am never sure how to respond, because I see this as a question of ignorance.

First of all, this is so clearly not my goal (not that I wouldn’t love to live in this world). My point in speaking about my choices is to educate people in hopes of lessening the impact that we as human beings make in general. My goal - albeit immeasurable - would be better stated as: to cause one person to think before eating each day, to have one more veg*n meal prepared and one less meat entree served.

Secondly, would we ever accomplish anything in life if we constantly told ourselves that there was no point unless we could achieve 100 percent?

Sometimes it’s good to try something new just once. Sometimes we need to decide to quit (as I did - and don’t regret doing - with graduate school). And sometimes we need to recognize that each person’s life that we touch makes a difference.

If I reach five people today by writing this, then they each log off, and cook their family a veggie meal, and then the next day they all tell their friends and co-workers about their delicious meat-free meal, then those friends go home and try the recipe out on their family …

See? It’s a chain reaction. People are sociable creatures and by reaching five people, I may just be reaching 25, 50, or more.

It’s the butterfly effect (and no, I don’t mean Ashton Kutcher’s time traveling flick). Even the tiny beat of a single butterfly’s wings could cause or prevent a tornado.

So for the nay-sayers, I have my response: I may only be a single butterfly, beating wings amongst a world whose flight plan tends to head in the opposite direction, but even I can create a tornado. So watch out world, there’s a storm a brewin’.

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During my blogathon, I mentioned that vegans have great breakfast options such as banana, eggless French toast, and scrambled tofu. But that didn’t necessarily help you should you want to replace yolks and whites in other cooking and baking.

Here, in addition to these yummy morning munchies, are some options for replacing your egg:
* 1 banana = 1 egg
* 2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch = 1 egg
* Ener-G Egg Replacer (or similar product available in health food stores or by mail order)
* 1/4 cup tofu (blended with wet ingredients for optimal mixture) = 1 egg

Try these replacements and your delights will be not only animal-friendly, but heart-safe, too! Now all I need is a vegan way to dye Easter eggs …

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If you want restaurants to know that you appreciate vegetarians - and even better, vegan - options on the menu, you have to tell them!

Be sure to mention to the manager when you notice that there is a lack of choices, or inquire when a meat-free meal disappears from the menu.

Too shy to speak directly to the manager or waiter? Write a little note on your bill: “Thanks for all the great options for vegetarian!” or “Would really love more vegan meals choices!” You could also visit the restaurant’s Web site once you get home contact them online.

One of the best ways, however, is the way that I let my fave joint know that I appreciate their menu, and that they can contact Compassion over Killing (COK) for help with their recipes and menu: a COK Restaurant Manager Card.

Order these cards today, and stick one in with your bill whenever you eat somewhere that offers cruelty-free food selections. Your first set of 10 is free, and each additional pack is just $1.

Restaurants don’t know what to serve unless you tell them what you like!

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British animal-lovers get ready to save!

You may have a slight remembrance of back in June when I mentioned that TaxGirl (a.k.a. Kelly/LawMummy/the mother of the kids I was a nanny for…) discussed a possible tax break for vegetarians.

Well now the UK has (sort of) began to pave the way for movements like this to become reality. Britons can receive a 6 percent discount on life insurance premiums. Add that to your list of arguments for vegetarians living a longer, healthier life! If money-makers like insurers feel confident enough about the lengthy lives that veggie lovers will live to lower their annual rate collected from them … now that’s saying something!

Read more about this announcement on British Web site MoneyMarketing.

On the front page of the New York Times on August 12 chickens and eggs had their day in the spotlight with “Suddenly, the Hunt Is On for Cage-Free Eggs”. No doubt, many of you either read this or have heard wind of it by now as the Internet is a buzz about this groundbreaking article.

But did anybody also take note of Jean Bettanny’s letter to the editor in response to this article? Her letter, titles “Let Chickens Be Chickens,” was printed on August 20, and was even more noteworthy than the article itself:

To the Editor:
While this is a step in the right direction toward reducing the animal abuse inherent in all factory farming (from the chicken’s point of view), it’s still a long way from what nature intended.

Chickens enjoy being together in small flocks, sunning, dust bathing and scratching in the soil for food. The rooster watches over the flock protectively and often participates in a hen’s egg-laying ritual, an extremely important and private part of her life.

“Free range” does not solve the problem of painful debeaking, enormously oversized flocks or the unnatural isolation of the birds from other sexes and age groups.

Though chickens can live for 5 to 11 years, after two years, they are hauled away to slaughter just like battery-caged hens. All of the male hatchlings are either smothered or ground up alive.

Let chickens be chickens, and avoid the whole moral dilemma by going vegan.

Jean Bettanny
Port Townsend, Wash., Aug. 13, 2007

Way to go, Jean! Everyone else - take note; writing one letter can reach hundreds of minds and impact the public!

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If you live in or around Columbus Ohio, you should check out Mercy for Animals’ August 31 Celebrating Compassion Party.

Mercy for Animals (MFA) is a large, vocal animal rights organization that is celebrating nearly eight years of hard work on behalf of the animals. On Friday, August 31 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Dragonfly Neo-V Gallery, MFA will serve vegan hors d’oeurves by the all vegan, Columbus restaurant Dragonfly. For a $20 advance donation, or $25 at the door, you can enjoy these tastes while sipping drinks, bidding in a cruelty-free silent auction, saying farewell to MFA’s Executive Director Nathan Runkle (who is relocating to the new Chicago headquarters), and welcome Freeman Wicklund - the new Ohio Director of Campaigns.

The event should be a blast! I am jealous of anyone who can go! It is supported by great vegetarian businesses including: Benevolence Cafe, Dragonfly Restaurant, Pangea Vegan Store, Primal Spirit Foods, Waldo’s Hair Salon, VeganEssentials.com, and VegNews Magazine.

Let me know if you go!

Image is MFA’s party pic for the event! Isn’t it adorable?!!!!

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PETA just game up with the cutest game ever to keep you entertained on the Internet. Super Chick Sisters is a play off of Super Mario Bros., and leads you to rescuing Pamela Anderson from the evil Kentucky Fried Cruelty Colonel Sanders while learning about chickens and having a blast. Knock down blocks to find tofu - which will make you grow bigger - and free chickens along the way.

You will not be disappointed, so what are you waiting for? Go and be entertained (and educated).

I just returned home from Vermont where I spent five days with my extended family including my baby niece and 2-year-old nephew. Rather than spending lots of loot on gathering everyone up and going out to dinner each night, we took turns cooking. Eek! This could be a nightmare for a vegetarian amongst a family of meat-eaters!

First chef up - my grandfather and his wife. She made an entirely meat-free meal: an uncooked pasta sauce made of fresh grown tomatoes, basil, garlic, onions, oil, and then served it up over hot whole wheat spaghetti with a side salad.

Second night - my aunt prepared dinner. With a husband who has a special diet, she seemed to really look out for everyone. We had grilled zucchini with balsamic vinegar, three bean salad, and brown rice … and some grilled meat was on the table.

Next up was my aunt and uncle (who is vegetarian!). They made a dish that was actually inspired by a Weight Watchers recipe: whole wheat spiral noodles tossed with spinach, pine nuts, feta cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms. On the side we had salad greens with granny smith apple slices, sprouts, cucumbers, and such. And don’t forget the toasted Italian bread with vegan garlic butter!

My sister made dinner on Monday night, and she cooked each person’s meal in a foil packet so that my uncle’s and mine didn’t touch meat. She followed a Martha Stewart recipe adding potatoes instead of chicken to the veggie ones (per something she read right here on LWM), and in addition to raisins tossed in a few dried cherries which added a nice, sweet punch.

Finally it was my turn. I used the previously posted vegan ricotta replacement recipe (yum!) and made vegan lasagna. I layered noodles, the vegan ricotta mixed with soy mozzarella-flavored cheese, finely-chopped spinach, and a lightly sauted mix of garlic, onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms, fresh basil, and pasta sauce. Everybody loved it! In fact I think there are some leftovers in my refrigerator right now, calling my name at this very moment …

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I believe that I am healthier today than I was last year, and even more so than when I was a meat-eater. My basis for stating this is personal experience as I can tell you that I am on fewer medications; have healthier test results in cholesterol, blood work, and blood pressure; weigh less; and feel better in general.

But that’s just me. There could have been other factors (I have removed alcohol from my diet in the past year), and certainly there are unhealthy veg*n diets just as there are healthy non-veg ones.

However, today I ran across a study that is seemingly the only one of its kind: the Adventist Health Study on the general health and mortality of vegetarians, as compared to omnivores, in the United States. Many members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are vegetarian and thus results from this study were able to provide health information that is of interest to veg*ns.

From 1976 to 1988, data was collected from 34,192 participants who were all church members. Of these, 29 percent were vegetarian, and an additional 7-10 percent of the vegetarians were vegan.

Results detailed that vegetarians had lower body mass index (veggie participants averaged a healthy BMI, while non-veggie eaters ranked overweight) and lived longer on average. When compared to their non-vegetarian peers, the vegetarian percentage had half as much high blood pressure, diabetes, and colon cancer, and two-thirds the rheumatoid arthritis and prostate cancer.

Other than eating a vegetarian diet, the study suggested that life expectancy could be increased by eating nuts regularly, not smoking, maintaining a healthy body weight, staying physically active - probably not anything you haven’t heard before.

You can read more about this study, its results, and veg*n nutrition at Vegan Health.

The largest meat-eater that ever lived was the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Where is he today?

The only athlete to win the Ironman triathlon more than twice was Dave Scott. He won the competition six times and is a proud vegetarian.

Who would you rather live -and survive - like?

How heavy of a life do you live? What kind of impact do you leave on the people, plants, and animals around you?

The argument is often made that the grains being fed to cattle could instead go to third world families, and that the land could go to homes for those who have none. This thought has always been hard for me to wrap my mind around though. While on vacation this weekend, however, my uncle (who has been a vegetarian for longer than I have been alive) put this in words that I could relate to:

Part of being a vegetarian, he told me, was living light on the land. I had previously heard of the carbon calculators, but as I do not own a car or house, I was unable to find ways to change my impact on the earth through this site.

Think of all the work that goes into the preparation of meat products - growth of grain and feed, care (or lack there of) for the animal, slaughter, butchering, cleaning, cooking, preparation. Now think of the work that goes into vegetable prep - growth, cleaning, optional cooking.

Animal prep leaves more pesticides in the land that will run into our water; more pollution from factories and such; and creates more waste in general.

A motto I learned in Girl Scouts was “leave only footprints, and take only photographs.” I am, however, leaving the lightest footprint possible in life because if we all stomped around, pounding our feet into the ground as we went, the earth would inevitably wear away. We have to respect what we have been given - no matter who we believe gave it to us.

So I ask you again, how heavy of a life do you live? What kind of impact do you leave on the people, plants, and animals around you?

… it is I. I am taking (unpaid) time off from work (and the other job, too, but not LWM) to go on a family reunion to Vermont. The main draw for me was getting to spend five straight days with my niece and nephew, of course. But in preparation I have been looking up fun things to do in the area. I looked at local attractions, what they brag about, shopping, and the norm. I also, however, simply had to find local yarn stores, natural food stores, co-ops, and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the area.

I won’t bore you with my findings, because honestly, what are the chances that you are in Vermont? Though something I stumbled upon while searching for these goodies is show-and-tell worthy.

The Veggie Informer is a great resource and must-link-to for all. Organization is not it’s strong point, so my sister should probably avoid it lest she feel the need to e-mail them a recommended system, but the links provided are valuable nonetheless. The page is a straight forward, no frills, will download even if you still have dial-up, list of vegetarian and vegan brands of clothes, stores, food, beauty products, and Web sites.

Visit it. Use it. But as always, come back here!

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As I told my doctor the other day that I was vegan, her immediate reaction was not one that I was prepared for. I can defend the protein question, and the general what-do-you-eat concern. But I was not expecting her to question my calcium intake.

Like an uneducated fool I stumbled as I muttered, “Uhh… don’t leafy greens have calcium?”

So just in case anybody questions you - or me, again - in the future, here is where we get out calcium:

*Leafy greens such as kale, arugula, parsley, collard and turnip greens

*Tofu
*Sesame and flax seeds
*Tahini
*Almonds, almond butter
*Several bean varieties including white, kidney, French, northern, navy, mung, pink, and black
*Figs
*Wasabi

And guess what? All of those have more calcium per serving than cow’s milk!

But there’s even more veg*n sources, too:

(more…)

Something else that helps your overall nutrition, and fights off cravings? Water! …and lots of it.

Now we are learning, however, that bottled water is not only wasteful of money and plastic, but likely to be merely tap water.

So get your free Vocalpoint Pur filtering, reusable water bottle!