March 2011

GREETINGS
 

We began discussion at the February potluck regarding possible actions for the Great American Meat-Out. One possibility that we came up with is to communicate with area schools/ school districts and suggest that they offer vegetarian meals, either for the Meat-Out (on the Friday before or the Monday after – March 20 is a Sunday this year), or as Meatless Mondays going forward. It occurred to us that such a suggestion would be a lot likelier to be accepted if we could supply institutional-volume recipes, so I tried contacting Vegetarian Resource Group and Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine in search of such. Both responded, and PCRM’s communication included exactly what we were looking for: a dozen recipes all ready to go, which I printed out and also sent to Jody and David. Jody found addresses for Milwaukee county school districts and colleges/ universities. So we’re thinking that at the potluck this Sunday, we could send a cover letter and a copy of the recipes to each of those entitities: we’ll supply paper, stamps, etc. and all we’ll need to do as a group is stuff and address the packets.

We could also do other things as well. Trying to find some radio presence is a possibility. Trying to find a venue to feed people is also still on the table. Any suggestions?

M.A.R.V. ACTIVITIES

Sunday, March 6, 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 Eating of the Greens, and work on the Meat-Out.

Subsequent regular potlucks will be on Apr. 3 and May 1.

Other veg-friendly potlucks

There will not be a macrobiotic potluck for March.

The Urban Ecology Center’s vegetarian potluck will be on Thurs., March 17 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

“Starvation, world hunger, waste, wars – we must make a statement against these things. Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it’s a strong one.”

-- Isaac Bashevis Singer, quoted in a Farm Sanctuary publication

“The decision of what you eat three times a day can change your life so profoundly.”

NEWS

Animal foods are still controversial: the latest flap is efforts by organic activists to get the Dept. of Agriculture rules on organic eggs to require that hens laying eggs labeled organic must actually spend significant time outdoors, in places where they can do normal chicken activities like scratch for bugs, and not just be spending their lives inside buildings that have a door into a tiny unattractive enclosed concrete “yard.” In another story, the federal government has issued proposed guidelines for fish farming in federal waters so long as the operations do not threaten wild fish stocks or salt-water ecosystems. The proposal does include funding for finding alternatives to feeding farmed predatory fish on pellets made from wild-caught fish – a practice that accounts for 20% of all fish caught and therefore makes fish farming a part of the overfishing problem. Public comment on the new guidelines is open until April 11.

In other food news, the Dept. of Agriculture, which is the government body charged confusingly with both promoting agriculture and setting nutritional standards, has come out with new guidelines for the latter. In response to the obesity crisis the USDA has for the very first time actually suggested that people eat less salt, sodas and sweetened drinks, and fewer calories, while adding more fruits and vegetables and whole grains (and exercise). Unfortunately, in a continued bow to certain lobbies, the new recommendations suggest more low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, and lean instead of fatty meats, instead of rethinking whether people need dairy and meat at all. And in a bizarre twist on a related issue, Michelle Obama announced her intention to promote breastfeeding, especially among black women, as part of her campaign against childhood obesity – and was criticized for it by Tea Party people and others as involving government in people’s private matters. You can’t make this stuff up.

A different food issue involves the rise in worldwide food prices. Part of this comes from bad weather in China, Australia, and other countries, which have decreased yields, and part of it arises from using agricultural land to grow cotton and to grow corn for ethanol, but part of it is also the result of growing animal feed on land that could grow human food directly, in order to meet increased demands for meat from countries like China where economic growth leads to rising standards of living. There is still much work to be done before better living and eating meat stop being synonymous.

This work is in progress, though. Both Prevention magazine (which is pretty mainstream) and Delicious Living ran articles recommending Meatless Mondays (or more), complete with recipes.

For of course plant foods are still good for you. The NY Times Health section reported on a study of 400,000 middle-aged people which found that a high-fiber diet (i.e., lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains) definitely correlated with living longer. In a related matter, Prevention ran an article about foods that produce weight gain versus those that help lose weight; the bad guys were all the sweets and sweeteners, meats and meat substitutes with lots of hidden fat, and white flour foods, while good guys were chewy foods like nuts, whole fruits and vegetables, hearty foods like fruits, vegetables, brown rice, whole grains and cereals, energizing foods like coffee, tea, and dark chocolate, and warming foods like peppers, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, mustard, and vinegar.

A Modern Health and Living article suggested foods for keeping the eyes healthy; they include vitamin C foods (fresh and fresh-frozen produce), vitamin A foods (orange and dark green vegetables), and vitamin E (found in fatty foods like nuts and dark green leafies as well as vegetable oils); in addition, antioxidents like lutein and zeaxanthin that are found in dark green leafy vegetables are known to help prevent age-related macular degeneration. Zinc and selenium, found in nuts, seeds, and other protein foods, are helpful as well, as are omega-3 fatty acids which vegetarians can get from dark green leafies, walnuts, and flax and hemp seeds and their oils.

A Delicious Living article suggested looking again at the excellent nutritional qualities of some everyday foods rather than jumping on the latest “superfood” fads. White potatoes, for example, are full of fiber, iron, vitamins B-6 and C, magnesium, potassium, and some protein – and if you eat them with some protein or a bit of fat they will not cause your blood sugar to spike. Ordinary white button mushrooms are now being seen as containing substances that can help control cholesterol and blood sugar, and others that may boost the immune system. Wheat germ is high in protein, B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Plain unadulterated popcorn is a whole grain high in antioxidents. Molasses (the darker the better) is a good vegetarian source of iron as well as calcium, potassium, manganese, selenium, and magnesium. Cocoa powder has even more antioxidents than dark chocolate, and black tea has different plant compound than green tea but equally valuable ones. And if you want to drink milk, goat’s milk is more easily digested and has more omega-3 fatty acids than cow’s milk.

A Delicious Living item mentioned recent research which suggested that coffee and green tea may help slow aging. A different item reported on findings that vitamin C can improve people’s moods. Chocolate was named in another article as having considerable therapeutic value, including benefits to the heart, circulatory system, skin, brain, and sexual function. Ginger was mentioned as having anti-inflammatory and digestive value, while oregano is full of phytonutrient antioxidents and vitamin K. Edamame (green soybeans) are full of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, and pineapple was named by Prevention as full of both vitamin C and heart-healthy manganese.

Other Prevention items pointed out that turmeric, the spice that makes curry yellow, is now known to inhibit the growth of cancer, and may even help prevent fatty liver disease and Alzheimer’s, while foods rich in luteolin (found in blueberries, hot and sweet peppers, and artichokes) may help boost memory. And an Andrew Weil article on treating anxiety without drugs suggested green tea and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids (Dr. Weil mentioned fish, but of course you also get omega-3s from dark green leafy vegetables, walnuts, and flax and hemp seeds and oils).

Another Delicious Living article talked about foods that boost energy, naming citrus fruits for the vitamin C, oatmeal as a whole grain full of stress-reducing B vitamins and soluble fiber, and tea (as well as eggs and yogurt).

CONNECTIONS

NAVS, the North American Vegetarian Society, has sent me a postcard reminding me that they are as usual planning a Vegetarian Summerfest. This year’s event will be on July 5 – 9, and will feature vegan meals, educational sessions on health, nutrition, cooking, lifestyle, exercise, animal rights, and Earth stewardship, and over fifty speakers prominent in the movement, including Drs. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., Neal Barnard, Michael Greger, and T. Colin Campbell as well as various authors and others. If you’re interested in attending, phone 518-568-7970 or check their website, vegetariansummerfest.org

The Urban Ecology Center’s Local Farmer Open House will be at the Riverside Park campus, 1500 E. Park Place, on Saturday, March 12 from 11 AM to 4 PM. If you are thinking about joining a Community Supported Agriculture farm for the year but have not yet connected with one, this is the place to find one that still has openings.

As regular readers of this rag know, we do mention CSAs every Spring, mainly because Chuck and I have subscribed to one for quite a while now and been pleased with the arrangement. In a CSA, subscribers sign up with a farmer and pay up front for a share of the harvest, whatever it will be. Some CSAs focus on animal foods, but many offer primarily plant foods with perhaps an option to get eggs for an additional fee if you choose; ours also offers an option to get artisan breads or not in addition to the plant crops. The farmers generally grow as many different crops and provide as much variety as possible given southeast Wisconsin’s soil and climate conditions; some use greenhouses to extend the season.

Subscribing to a CSA has many advantages. It automatically means that you’ll be eating the freshest, most local possible food; this reduces food miles and means that you’re keeping your food dollars in the local economy. Also, most of the CSAs around here are organic (although not necessarily USDA certified – but that’s not a problem if you can go and see for yourself how the crops are grown. And CSAs do often invite subscribers to the farms at least on occasion.) Even more, CSAs help keep small farmers in business, since the deal with a CSA is that you pay up front and then share both the bounty and the difficulties each year brings. In our experience, each year is different, with bumper crops of some vegetables and fruits and relative shortfalls of others – but there’s always plenty of variety and enough stuff to fill our industrialsize freezer by the end of the Fall.

One advantage is also a potential disadvantage: each box is a surprise package of whatever was ripe that week. So you get the things you like when they’re at their peak of perfection, and also items that you’re not familiar with or have to figure out how to make tasty to yourself. As a result of our CSA, there are quite a few dishes that I’ve had to invent, and we eat a wider variety of foods than we otherwise might have. But that’s a good thing.