April 2010

GREETINGS

What a month we ‘ve had! We did two tabling events for the Great American MeatOut, one at Alverno College and one at UWM (the latter in concert with the UWM animal rights group, Vive). Both went nicely, with many good conversations with a variety of people, lots of literature given out, and quite a few people who took the MeatOut pledge (to eat no meat for one day) and/or signed up our For Further Contact sheet. And then on the following Saturday (March 27) we participated in a Green Living Fest at the Domes, which also went nicely. Welcome to all who are reading this for the first time because you signed the contact sheets.

The rest of the Spring looks busy as well. We will again be participating in the Urban Ecology Center’s Earth Day festivities, and the following weekend we’re invited to participate in a Spring Green Fair and Expo at Alverno (on May 1). It’s great to have so many opportunities to publicize the advantages of eating less animals and more plants – but at the same time, we could use a couple of volunteers to help do it. Please be in touch if you can help!

M.A.R.V. ACTIVITIES

Sunday, April 4, 5 PM, regular potluck at the Friends’ Meeting House, 3224 N. Gordon Pl. in Riverwest (from Humboldt Blvd., go east on Auer a few short blocks to the parking lot).

Theme is Chocolates.

Sat., Apr. 24, noon to 4 PM, Earth Day tabling at the Urban Ecology Center.

Sat., May 1, 9 Am to 5 PM, Green Fair tabling at Alverno College.

Other veg-friendly potlucks

There will not be a macrobiotic potluck in April.

The Urban Ecology Center’s potluck will be on Thurs., Apr. 15 at 6:30 PM at 1500 E. Park Pl. – bring plate and fork as well as your meatless dish. Phone is 414-964-8505.

QUOTES OF THE MONTH

“The real cure for our environmental problems is to understand that our job is to salvage Mother Nature…We are facing a formidable enemy in this field. It is the hunters…and to convince them to leave their guns on the wall is going to be very difficult.”

-- Jacques Cousteau

“Whole grains have been found to reduce the risk of many types of cancer. They also help regulate blood glucose… people who consume more whole products consistently weigh less than those who consumed less. Best of all – they taste so much better.”

NEWS

There are still various problems with animal foods.

In Iowa there was a major manure spill from a dairy operation into a nearby creek; the state’s DNR is investigating whether the spill caused a fish kill. In Los Angeles, a sushi restaurant is accused of serving whale meat in violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. And there was a recall of various food items using hydrolized vegetable protein that was supplied by a Las Vegas company; it was found to be contaminated with salmonella, which ultimately comes from animals, although it is not clear how the salmonella got into the plant’s processing equipment.

In other unfortunate news, efforts to rein in the fishing of bluefin tuna, which we reported on last month, were unsuccessful.

Milk turned out to be bad for at least one person’s skin: the editor-in-chief of Prevention magazine wrote that cutting back on her milk-drinking cleared her skin of adult acne pimples.

Then there were assorted news reports that just leave you scratching your head and muttering, “Arrrghhh...” The director of animal welfare at Michigan State University addressed a Wisconsin Dairy and Beef Industry conference with apparent puzzlement over the public concerns about how livestock animals are housed and cared for, when after all the farmers are so concerned about them. After President Obama’s recent physical – and the discovery that his cholesterol has gone up significantly – his press secretary gloated to the media that this means he really does enjoy burgers and pies, and doesn’t just eat arugula, carrots, and celery, and is thus a real ordinary American… A radio report I heard indicated that WalMart is planning to rescue Kentucky organic apple farmers who are having trouble competing with cheaper Chinese “organic” apples by buying from them if they are close enough to a WalMart store. A Prevention article reported on research which suggests that too much folate (a B vitamin that is added to white flour products to enrich them) is now linked to some cancers – although it is also well established that it is vitally necessary for health, especially during pregnancy including very early pregnancy. The article’s conclusion is that people should eat freely the foods that provide folate naturally (dark leafy greens and whole grains) while avoiding fortified grain foods which could provide too much. And New York City (after the NY Times reported on New Yorkers who illegally keep honey-bee hives) is now considering making beekeeping legal.

Meanwhile, plant foods are still good for you.

Prevention ran an article on “natural cures from the kitchen,” which included using simple olive oil on the skin as a treatment for dry skin and eczema (your editor actually used it instead of lip balm this winter with considerable success); salt water wash as a cure for athlete’s foot; and tonic water (which contains quinine) to calm restless legs syndrome. Another article named foods that can help the skin look young, identifying dark green lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, apples, soy, eggs, almonds, walnuts, cocoa made with dark chocolate, and olive oil. Healthwise featured the pomegranate, pointing out that it is not just tasty and pretty, but also a good source of polyphenol antioxidents, vitamins C and K, potassium, iron, and fiber. A Vegetarian Times article on dishes that showcase broccoli pointed out that broccoli combines low calories with plenty of vitamins C and K, beta-carotene, folate, and fiber. Another Vegetarian Times item looked at green garlic, which is milder than cured garlic cloves but useful for giving Spring salads some extra taste – rinse well and use both white and green parts.

Garlic is in the onion (allium) family, and a magazine called Energy Times did a whole article on the health benefits of this family of foods. Onions, high in vitamin C and fiber, have been associated with anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects, improved cardiovascular health, and reductions in cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Garlic provides manganese, selenium, and vitamins B-6 and C, and may help cardiovascular health as well as being anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory; eating it may also help prevent weight gain and reduce blood pressure. Shallots, a bit sweeter and milder than onions, are rich in folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C, and are linked to improved circulation and lowered cholesterol levels. Scallions are immature onions, and so have a milder flavor than they would if harvested later on; they provide calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins A and C (and are the only alliums besides chives that won’t keep well and should therefore be eaten soon after harvest). Chives themselves are used as an herb; since you eat the green leaves, they have all the usual nutritional goodies of dark green leafies, including vitamins A, C, and K, omega-3s, calcium, etc. Finally, leeks are a good source of iron, calcium, fiber, and vitamins A and C, and also (like other alliums) contain a phytonutrient called diallyl sulfide which has shown ability to fight both microbes and cancer; traditional Chinese medicine used leeks to treat obesity. When nutritionists advise you to “eat the rainbow,” meaning all different colors of produce, they categorize alliums as white – and you should include that color in your diet.

The March Outpost Exchange ran an article on tea (meaning infusion of the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, not the infusions of any other herb such as ginger or chamomile; these are technically tisanes, not real teas). Teas can be white or green (least processed/ oxidized), oolong or pu-erh (partly processed) and black (most processed). Tea has been used for millennia in the belief that it can enhance health, and over the past few years tea’s health benefits are undergoing actual scientific study, with mixed results. But there do indeed seem to be some possibilities that tea’s antioxidents may offer some protection from some cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disease/ stroke, and gum disease. And they’re highly enjoyable, and certainly can’t hurt.

CONNECTIONS

I’ve started receiving notices about this year’s annual Vegetarian Summerfest, put on by the North American Vegetarian Society. It will take place on July 7-11 this year in Johnstown, PA. As usual, it will feature over 50 great speakers, educational sessions and workshops on health and nutrition, lifestyle issues, cooking and recipes, fitness, animal rights, and Earth stewardship, with great vegan meals and plenty of networking opportunities.

It’s CSA time again. In Consumer Supported Agriculture (also called subscription farming), you pay a farmer early in the season for a share of that farm’s produce, and then (usually from late Spring through much of the Fall) you pick up a box at some convenient site which is filled with whatever your farm harvested that week. The produce you get is therefore as local, fresh, and (around here) organic as it can be, short of growing your own. Part of the deal, of course, is that you share the luck of the growing season: in any given year one or another crop may do poorly while others are more productive than expected. With a CSA, your agreement to take whatever comes protects the farmer from these uncertainties. The advantage is that you help keep a farmer in business, your food dollars stay in our community, you get a delicious surprise package each week, and (for better or worse) you get to figure out how to use kinds of produce you never ate before.

Backyard Bounty, Laura Comerford, 920-892-4319, ljcomerford@hotmail.com