March 2004

We have a Meat-Out event to do! At our last potluck, we agreed that it would be a good idea to investigate the possibility of doing some-thing on a college campus – and the very next day I got a phone call from Nick at UW-M’s Alliance for Animals. They are having Howard Lyman come and speak in person, and Nick was inquiring about our helping with the publicity, so I took the opportunity to ask about the Meat-Out. The event will be an informational tabling plus handing out of vegetarian snacks to whoever comes by. It will be on March 16, the Tuesday before the official March 20 Meat-Out date, since UW-M’s Spring Break starts that weekend and by Saturday the campus will be deserted. I think it actually works better to catch people a couple of days before the 20^th, so if they want to pledge to go meatless on that day, they can plan ahead. Alliance for Animals is planning to be there from 11 AM on until whenever; I figure we can be there with our handouts for as long as those of us able to do it can or want to be there. (I myself can start at 11 but must leave by 2:30 or 3 PM.) We could use at least one other warm body, plus we could add to the snack/ finger-food offerings, as several of us did when we had Dr. Gregor speak. To sign up, phone me at (414) 962-2703, and/or come to the potluck this Sunday!

Speaking of potlucks, we are indeed staying at the Friends’ Meeting House for another six months (April through September).

We also might want to look into something called Eating for Peace, in which a San Francisco group is sponsoring a 21-day Veg-A-Thon to benefit children of war (see Connections) below.

Sunday, March 7, 5:30 PM, regular potluck at the Friends’ Meeting House, 3224 N. Gordon Pl. (from Humboldt Blvd. in Riverwest, go east on Auer a few short blocks to the parking lot). Focus will be green foods.

Subsequent potlucks will be at the same place and time on Apr. 4, May 2, June 6, July 4 (probably a picnic elsewhere), Aug. 1, and Sept. 5. The focus of the April potluck will be Community Supported Agriculture.

Tuesday, March 16, Great American Meat-Out Event: informational tabling on the main floor at the Student Union in Univ. of Wisc. – Milwaukee, 2200 E. Kenwood, 11 AM on.

The ex-cattleman vegan and "mad cowboy," Howard Lyman, will be in town on Thursday, March 11, and will speak at the UW-M Student Union at 7 PM in the Fireside Lounge, sponsored by Alliance for Animals.

The next macro potluck will be at 5 PM on Sunday, March 14, at Roger Werner’s house, 8668 N. 51^st St., just south of Brown Deer Rd., (414) 365-1887.

We saw a cartoon of a cow in a floral dress, headband, and go-go boots holding a sign saying "Make Love, Not Burgers" and a farmer saying, "Oh great. Mod cow disease."

On a sorry note: Dave Louthan, the slaughterer who killed the "mad" cow (and blew the whistle on claims that she was a downer), refuted accusations that he was scaring people gratuitously: "I just want to enjoy my cheese-burger like anybody else. I don’t want to think: Is this the magic burger that’s going to kill me?"

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On a happier note: "Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

-- Benjamin Franklin

Mad cow disease inevitably continued to dominate Bad Food news lately. The U.S. government issued new guidelines intended to prevent the disease’s spread, including a ban on feeding cow blood and chicken wastes to cattle and a ban on using dead or disabled cows to make such products as dietary supplements, cosmetics, and soups. (Yep, that means that until now all these things were being done…). The FDA followed suit. One cause of this measure was the discovery that a new British case of the human form of the disease was probably caused by a blood transfusion. Either because or in spite of these moves, news media from the Outpost Exchange to the NY Times ran articles pointing out how government assurances of beef safety are full of holes, while an FDA panel advised the government that much more testing of cattle should be done, and an international panel advised the USDA to ban all feeding of animal protein to cattle; this last led to some actual news discussion of animal rendering. Officials seeking offspring and herd-mates of the "mad cow’ finally quit looking although they did not find all the animals they sought. A new strain of mad cow disease was discovered. The price of American beef was predicted to drop as the industry starts unloading here at home the beef it can no longer sell to the 50 nations that have banned U.S. beef imports. And Japan, which is one of those nations, confirmed its own tenth case of mad cow disease.

In related stories closer to home, a second deer in Walworth County was found to have chronic wasting disease, the deer version of mad cow disease, and Wisconsin state officials announced a plan to have sharpshooters kill deer in affected areas in an attempt to control the illness – a plan which was not met with cheers in the affected locales, some of which are suburban. Also, a wildlife center that had spent months rehabilitating a doe and several fawns so they could be released was instead told by the DNR that the animals must be slaughtered and tested for chronic wasting disease; the resulting wails convinced the state legislature to interrupt its actual work to craft a bit of legislation that could spare the critters’ lives (though not allow their release).

Other Bad Food news included a 52,000 pound beef recall in Pennsylvania, bird flu worldwide, a NY Times article pointing out that pathogens in kitchen sinks and counters are much more dangerous than mad cow disease (true – but the article didn’t mention that al-most all the germs involved got there by hitch-hiking on meat), and the discovery that genetically engineered crops are polluting their species’ gene pools just like the alarmists had predicted.

On a completely different note, there was much attention this month to the subject of potable liquids, good and bad. Given recent news that teenage athletes are breaking bones more of late, and that they drink less milk and more sodas than previous generations, much is being made of the link. Prevention magazine pointed out that men get osteoporosis too, and therefore should drink milk, yet also reported that the phosphorus in cola will not cause excessive calcium leaching, yet also had an item about how to get sodas banned from schools. A can of Coke, however, apparently was very bad for a codfish that swallowed it whole and then was caught, thin and ill. A nutritionist who works for yogurt-maker Stony-field Farm wrote an article pushing dairy on the grounds that dietary calcium helps burn fat while sodas help put the pounds on (completely avoiding the possibility that one could quit soda without adding dairy as one’s calcium source). But on the other hand, E Magazine ran an article on cheese substitutes, while the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel taste-tested and rated quite a variety of soymilks, and also ran an article on how diets that include juicy foods, plus letting one’s thirst signal a need for liquids, is all one needs do to prevent dehydration – no need to count glasses and ounces of water. Speaking of water, World-Watch magazine ran a piece on the problems of bottled water and the possibilities of dangerous chemicals leaching into bottled water from the plastic bottles (plastics number 1 and 2 are safest, while number 3 (used for cling wrap), 7 (used in clear baby bottles), and 6 (polystyrene/styrofoam) are the worst – never heat food or drink in this!

Then there is Good News about vegetarian foods. I caught a radio report of a study which found that that increased dietary fiber from cereal and fruit (but, oddly, not vegetables) correlates with decreased heart disease. And Delicious Living had a whole article on heart health, which included "keys to a heart-smart diet." These included maintaining a healthy weight, limiting sodium, eating five or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables, eating a variety of whole grains, and adding soy to the diet; the only animal food was the two servings per week of omega-3-fatty-acid rich fish; our

readers know that you can get your omega-3s from ground flax, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil, and dark green leafy vegetables; add also something called perilla oil which is used like flax seed oil, and black current oil. Another reason to do so is that adequate omega-3s apparently help prevent menstrual cramps.

Speaking of green leaves, Prevention had an

item about the increase in the last few years in the rate of age-related macular degeneration, which causes loss of vision; it seems that extra sunlight is the culprit, but the carotenoids in dark green leaves seem to concentrate in the eyes and provide protection – yet another reason to eat your greens.

Another nutritional powerhouse, according the Outpost Exchange, is oats, rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, and minerals including calcium, as well as significant protein. Cauliflower was also featured last month, with its high con-tent of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and such phytochemicals as indoles which stimulate the immune system. And Prevention reported on two new studies which found that eating plenty of vegetables reduces the risk of stroke, and substantially improves length of survival for people diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Finally, getting back to beverages, Prevention ran an item about the discovery of saponins in wines, especially red ones, which is good news since saponins help protect the heart from bad cholesterol. And research on tea is still producing good news. Taiwanese who were moderate tea drinkers turned out to be thinner than non-tea drinkers; a U.S. study found that drinking black tea can help lower cholesterol; and in Australia, a study found tea drinking to help lower blood pressure.

CONNECTIONS

As mentioned above, I received in the mail a set of flyers inviting people to take part in a Veg-A-Thon, in which they would pledge to go meatless for the first 21 days of this June, and sign up sponsors who would pay so much per meatless day. The proceeds would go to UNICEF to be used for humanitarian help for children affected by war. The group organizing this is called Eating for Peace. I have not heard of it before, though it may just be very new. Based in San Francisco, its board of advisors includes a vegan radio show host, Bob Linden, and author/ historian Michael Parenti. I will bring the flyers to the March 7 potluck, or phone me at (414) 962-2703 if you want me to mail you one. One of the things to consider at the potluck is whether we like this idea, and if so whether we should organize or promote the Veg-A-Thon, and/or try to tie it in with the Great American Meat-Out. Meanwhile, if you want to check this out for yourself, the website is www.eatingforpeace.org, while the group’s email is info@eatingforpeace.org.

A different possibility to investigate is much closer to home. John and Jean Clougherty are strict raw foodists who host a monthly raw food potluck dinner. Last month, our own Jody and David attended this event, which was held in the Clougherty’s home on Brown Deer Road on the last Saturday of the month; they reported that the food was wonderful, both interesting and really tasty, and definitely worth trying. The Cloughertys can be contacted at (414) 357-6200 if you want to know more.

DIALOG

Arguments continue to rage about what kind of diet people should follow for health – which increasingly in this country means weight loss. Organic Style magazine recently evaluated no less than four alternative food pyramids, none of them the USDA’s. Researchers are trying to genetically engineer meat to have more omega-3 fatty acids at the same time that a new study confirms the healthiness of the traditional Mediterranean diet: lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts, olive oil, moderate wine, some fish and dairy, and almost no red meat but lots of physical work/exercise.

Then there is the recent revelation that low-carb/ high-protein diet guru Robert Atkins was extremely bloated and unhealthy when he died, and whether this means that his diet is as much of a long-term danger to heart and kidneys as some insist. Yet while this controversy flares, the low-carb craze goes on, and desperate people who have lost weight and maintained the loss in no other way swear by it. It is true that the need to do something about rampant obesity is very real. Stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and even dementia loom for the seriously overweight, and a new study suggests that fatness may start as early as toddlerhood.