Another new study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, looked at bone health in Chinese girls, and found that eating animal protein, especially from meat and eggs, decreased bone mineral density and content. A study presented at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting reported that meat consumption increases risk of bladder cancer.

These are the direct results of animal food consumption; there are other problems with raising livestock as well. Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation and Food, Inc.) wrote an op-ed for the NY Times pointing out that more Americans die from food poisoning each year than the number killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined since 2003. The culprits are pathogens like listeria, campylobacter, and salmonella – that is, bugs that get into the food chain as a result of livestock raising. Schlosser’s point was that an act has been introduced in Congress to grant the FDA authority to test widely for these germs and order recalls (rather than just request them, as is currently the case). Schlosser did note that small farmers are crying that the extra expense if this law is passed could shut down the little operations which are the least nasty to animals and least dangerous – and indeed, I did see an article saying exactly that in Wisconsin State Farmer. But Schlosser opined that language could easily be added to fix that problem, and that with such a fix the legislation ought to be passed instead of languishing in committee. He did not suggest that eating a lot less animal foods would also help reduce the problem of livestock putting germs into the food chain.

The issue of livestock and pathogens brings up the use of antibiotics in factory farming of animals. In this regard, the NY Times reported on a new FDA position paper indicating the desirability of greatly decreasing the use of penicillin and tetracycline in livestock feed and water, a common practice to try to control killer pathogens in livestock operations and make the animals grow faster. The problem, of course, is that this very widespread use of antibiotics is breeding antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and there are now real worries that antibiotics will stop being useful against disease in humans. Yet, equally predictably, livestock raisers want to continue using them. So the fight is on, again.

Meanwhile, cows are still farting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, and another NY Times article reported on Australian researchers who noted that kangaroos eat similar diets to cows but do not release methane, and are now looking for ways to alter cattle digestion to make it more like that of kangaroos. You couldn’t make this stuff up.

It might be good news that the estimates of the number of pigs and hogs being raised in the U.S. is down 4% this year compared to last year. It might be bad news that learning to butcher your own meat is a new trend among “foodies who want a closer connection to the meaty morsels on their forks,” as an Associated Press article put it.

And then there is contention about potable liquids. The raw milk controversy is still going on, with passions on both sides. Public health officials still worry about people getting sick from drinking raw milk, which does occasionally happen and can be very nasty; some farmers and some dairy customers still passionately defend the stuff as a true and good whole food (which pasteurized homogenized supplemented milk is not) and want to supply and drink it. Possibly much more serious is a water war between India and Pakistan. India is working to build a dam on its side of Kashmir to make electricity by trapping water that has traditionally watered Pakistani fields. Agriculture is a full quarter of Pakistan’s economy and employs half its people, so this water dispute is serious enough to be front page news. And it mirrors disputes about who gets the water from the Nile and Jordan Rivers, and those between India and China.

Happily, however, plant foods are still good for you. A Psychology Today item sang the praises of apples (coming into season next month): they provide vitamin C and dietary fiber that promotes digestive health and lowers blood cholesterol levels, but their antioxidents also help the brain by reducing the vulnerability of nerve cells to inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus help preserve cognitive function. Tomatoes are of course in season now, and are full of vitamin C and the immunesystem booster lycopene; tomato sauces concentrate the lycopene for a juicier dose of it. Look for vineripened ones that have never been refri-gerated for the best taste. And cherries are still around and full of vitamins and phytonutrients as well.

A Prevention article looked at increasing fiber in sneaky ways, such as adding cocoa powder to smoothies, adding mushrooms to soup, adding edamame to stir-fries, adding oats to meat loaf (or in our case, fake-meat meatless loaf), and adding wheat germ to pancakes. Good Medicine, the publication of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, reported on a study which found that eating soy products, fruits, and vegetables reduced the risk of breast cancer, and another which found that women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are more likely to survive if they eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. Another Good Medicine article profiled a dancer diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Unwilling to be crippled, she used a diet devoid of dairy, red meat, caffeine, and other arthritis triggers to successfully heal herself. Also profiled was a nurse who healed herself of that disease by going vegan. Studies were cited which indicate that low-fat vegan diets, gluten-free vegan diets, and raw-food vegan diets, have all been found useful against arthritis. A Delicious Living! item gave advice for people interested in eating a more raw-foods diet: start slow and work into it bit by bit; start in summer when much fresh produce is available; and stock the kitchen with nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, tahini and nut butters. A Prevention article on natural cures that work included dark cocoa as helping reduce blood pressure and green tea as helping fight rheumatoid arthritis.