Volume 4 Number 4 SPRING 2005

Transcription

American
Ahimsa Lights The Way
New Series: Volume 4 Number 4
SPRING 2005
Linda Long says:
Children Can
Cook. Let Them!
In the effort to have children
do everything right and well,
we can forget that the right way
should be a gradual process.
Children’s competence
increases as skills develop. So,
perhaps the best policy for us
adults is to stand back a bit and
give “suggestions” during the
mastering and growing times,
allowing them to discover what
needs to be done while
building self-esteem and
confidence.
Anita Lombri has been
“cooking” since she could
stand up, stir, and be very
messy. Her first main “entrée”
was created on a work surface
of a plastic-covered coffee
table (as well as the floor
underneath) when she was
about two!
Gabby Peterson (left) and Anita Lombri prepare to cook.
Continued on page 4
INSIDE:
Thanksgiving In Durham NC
Back from Brazil
The China Study’s Health Implications
Making Kind Choices
Food Allergy Survival Guide
Alarming Headlines
Fashion Shows
VeganTennessee
4-4, SPRING
2005 2005
AVS’ Summer Conference, & Kids’ Program, at The Farm inAmerican
Summertown
August
AHIMSA
THE COMPASSIONATE WAY
AHIMSA is a Sanskrit term meaning
non-killing, non-injuring, non-harming.
AVS defines it in daily life as
Dynamic Harmlessness, spelled out at right.
THE AMERICAN VEGAN SOCIETY is a non-profit,
non-sectarian, non-political, tax-exempt educational
membership organization teaching a compassionate way
of living by Ahimsa (see above) and Reverence for Life.
VEGANS—pronounced VEE-guns—live on products
of the plant kingdom, so exclude flesh, fish, fowl, dairy
products (animal milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.), eggs,
honey, animal gelatin, all other items of animal origin.
VEGANISM ALSO EXCLUDES animal products
such as leather, wool, fur, and silk, in clothing, upholstery, etc. Vegans usually try to avoid the less-thanobvious animal oils, secretions, etc., in many soaps, cosmetics, toiletries, household goods and other common
commodities.
AN EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION is held each
year, at Malaga or elsewhere.
INDIVIDUAL MEDICAL ADVICE is not given; AVS
educates on ethical, ecological, aesthetic, healthful, economic aspects of vegan living in general.
KNOWLEDGE AND OPINIONS in articles (or
books, tapes, etc., listed or reviewed in American Vegan )
represent the views of the individual authors, not necessarily those of the society or American Vegan.
CONFIDENTIALITY: AVS' membership list is never
rented or given out for commercial use or solicitations.
NO PAID ADVERTISING: any notices printed are for
informational value to our readers, and unpaid.
ARTICLES or items may be submitted for possible
publication.
AMERICAN VEGAN SOCIETY
Since 1960
Founder: H. Jay Dinshah
AVS Council Members & Officers
*Freya Dinshah, Malaga, NJ
–President/Treasurer/Editor
Roshan Dinshah, Malaga NJ –1st Vice President
*Rosemary O’Brien, Woodbridge NJ
–2nd Vice President/Secretary
*Anne Dinshah, Erie PA –Assistant Editor
*Andy Mars, Los Angeles CA —Assistant Editor
Daniel J. Dinshah, Malaga NJ –Assistant Treasurer
*Gabriel Figueroa, Austin TX
*Council
Website hosted by VegSource
2 American Vegan 4-4, SPRING 2005
ABSTINENCE from Animal Products
HARMLESSNESS with Reverence for Life
INTEGRITY of Thought, Word, and Deed
MASTERY over Oneself
SERVICE to Humanity, Nature, and Creation
ADVANCEMENT of Understanding and Truth
American Vegan
Volume 4, Number 4— Spring 2005
ISSN: 1536-3767 © 2005
CONTENTS
1, 4 —Children Can Cook. Let Them!
3—Editorial: Alarming headlines
6—Thanksgiving in Durham NC
10—Book review: Protecting All Animals
11—Compost–Nature’s Way of Recycling
12, 18, 31—Obituaries: Little, Lee, Ling
12—Notices: Meatout Mondays, Soup
13—Book review: The China Study
16—Book review: Food Allergy Survival Guide
16—New book listings
17—Personal Perspective on Health and Life
19—World Vegan Day in Los Angeles
20—Spotlight Humane
21—Veg Fashion: Moda Sem Crueldade
22—Back from Brazil
23—Brazilian Journal
26—Fifth World Social Forum, Brazil
27—Come to The Farm
28—AVS 2005 Summer Conference
29—Kids’ Vegan Summer Program
30—John Howard (1726-1790)
32—Consumer Listings
33—Vegfam, & Notices
34—Calendar of Classes, Meetings, Conferences
35—Vegan Health Study
35—AVS membership/subscription
Cover Design: Scott Depew
Front Cover Photo: Linda Long
Back Cover Photo: Freya Dinshah
Technical assistance: Justin Dinshah
Printed by Prompt Printing Press Inc., Camden NJ
Updated Book & Video catalog available
from AVS.
Alarming headlines misquote and mislead
On February 21 2005, our attention was called to a BBC News piece by health reporter Michelle Roberts that said:
“Putting children on strict vegan diets is “unethical” and could harm their development”, attributing the statement to
Lindsay Allen of the U.S. Agriculture Research Service speaking at a Washington science conference. The article
referred to a study Allen was said to have carried out among African school children.
The study, The Impact of Dietary Intervention on Cognitive Development of Kenyan School Children, was
presented at the conference Animal Source Foods and Nutrition in Developing Countries back in June 2002. Allen’s
name did not appear as an author of the study. Instead she and Montague Demment were listed as “guest editors” of
the study for a supplement to the Journal of Nutrition publication.
The International Vegetarian Union reported: The scientist concerned has since stated to an IVU member that her study
was not about veganism but "the reporter's interest was about vegans as they are more newsworthy . . . The news reporter
"hyped" my concern about vegan diets for pregnant/lactating mothers and infants/children by not adding the sentence I was
emphatic they keep in, namely that vegan diets were unethical UNLESS those who practiced them were well-informed . . ."
The Vegan Society (U.K.) issued a press release February 22 2005:
VEGAN DIETS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT: WHAT'S THE REAL EVIDENCE?
The claim that milk and meat are vital to children's development, which swept though the media earlier this week, originated
from an American press release based mainly on a two-year study of 555 undernourished Kenyan children, completed in
December 2000 and published in the Journal of Nutrition in November 2003. (1)
As usual, the original information evolved beyond all recognition as it moved from scientific paper to press release to sound
bite: "There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to bring up their children as strict vegans", proclaimed certain
sections of the media. (2)
The scientific paper compared groups of Kenyan children given three food supplements: meat, milk and vegetable oil. Three
measures of mental development were taken: Raven's visuo-spatial test, verbal meaning and arithmetic. On all three measures,
the vegetable oil group beat the milk group and on two measures the vegetable oil group beat the meat group.
"Even on the paper cited, the sound bite attributed to Professor Allen is clearly far fetched" said Stephen Walsh, author of Plant
Based Nutrition and Health.
But there is far stronger evidence than this that vegan diets support healthy development in children. In the UK a study of 39
vegan children found that "the growth and development of children reared on both vegan and vegetarian diets appears normal." (3)
In the USA, a study of 400 vegan children reached the same conclusion. (4) Both these studies were carried out in the 1980s and
the results should be well known to any scientist presuming to comment on vegan diets and child development.
The sound bite that went the rounds this week comes from taking the results of the one test on undernourished Kenyan
children where meat seemed to have a better impact than vegetable oil and ignoring all the contrary evidence both from the
Kenyan study and from direct studies of western vegans.
"This is not science but blatant spin", said Vegan Society Chair Alex Bourke, "and representatives of the media who have
uncritically passed on the sound bite have been sadly misled."
For further information on the benefits of a vegan diet for animals, people and the environment – both in Africa and in the West
– see Plant Based Nutrition and Health or contact a Vegan Society spokesperson ( http://www.vegansociety.com ).
REFERENCES:
1 http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/133/11/3965S.pdf
2 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4282257.stm
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0218micronutrients.shtml
3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=abstract&list_uids=3414589
4 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=2771551
CONTACTS: Alex Bourke, Vegan Society Chair, 07956 169214
Sandra Hood BSc (Hons), State Registered Dietitian Author of
Raising your Vegan Infant - With Confidence, 01424 427 393
Stephen Walsh PhD, Vegan Society Nutrition Spokesperson Author
of Plant Based Nutrition and Health, 07967 361510
PUBLICATIONS: Plant Based Nutrition and Health, 9/2003.
From Kelowna Canada, dietitian and author Brenda Davis responded to the study by citing the fact that the largest
organization of nutrition professionals in the world (American Dietetic Association) has officially declared that
"Appropriate planned vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarian diets satisfy the nutrient needs of infants, children, and adolescents and
promote normal growth," as well as providing "health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." In
recognition of that fact, Dr. Benjamin Spock, perhaps the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, in the final edition of
his book, Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care (second only to the Bible the best-selling book in American history)
recommended that children be raised vegan. In her response, Brenda explains why the researchers presumably chose
not to include a nutrient-rich plant food as a control group: "...doing so would have demonstrated that it is not vegan diets
that are inadequate, but rather energy, fat, and protein deficient diets that are inadequate. That would have defeated the purpose
of the organization which funded the research, namely the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (US)."
Is it funded by NCBA (per Roberts), or (as acknowledged on the report) the Global Livestock Collaborative
Research Support Program of the Office of Agriculture and Food Safety? AVS looked at The Impact of Dietary
Intervention... study and found what was remarkable was how comparatively poorly the milk-supplemented group
did on the tests. Oddly enough, a search for “vegan” at www.bbc.co.uk, has references, in their Food section near the
top of the list, which state: “Having a healthy, nutritious vegan diet is easier now than it has ever been.” It goes on to say,
“Eating a wide variety of foods is the key to having a healthy balanced diet.” And, “Vegetarian and vegan diets can be a healthy
Freya Dinshah
way of eating for all age groups – provided that enough thought is given to balance youngsters’ diets.”
American Vegan Society, PO Box 369, Malaga NJ 08328.
Phone: (856) 694-2887, Fax: (856) 694-2288 www.americanvegan.org Sign on to our E-Alert!
American Vegan 4-4, SPRING 2005 3
Children Can Cook. Let Them!
Linda Long
Using only a bowl and large
wooden spoon, perfect for her
early skills of large motions,
Anita stirred crackers into soymilk and discovered that they almost disappear. Next, she tested
adding grapes, and discovered
that they move about the bowl
and do not disappear. The fact
that the creation would not really
be eaten was irrelevant at that
age. The fun part was discovering
techniques and how various foods
react with one another.
That was about 8 years ago.
Anita, now in the fifth grade, has
advanced to being able to cook
the evening meal for herself and
her mother, Linda Lombri. Linda
is a busy single mom, so this is a
huge help. Recently, when her
mom was ill after a workday,
Anita told her mother to rest in
bed while she prepared dinner.
The meal-on-a-tray was tofu
“eggs” with toast and a mug of
hot cider with a cinnamon stick.
It was served on a tray with a
place mat and a brightly colored
napkin.
Along with cooking, presentation is a wonderful skill to teach.
After all, the effort is worthy of
being presented as a prize. When
attention to the setting and appearance of a meal is given from
early on, it soon becomes second
nature. The delight of serving
food extends beyond the kitchen
into the time between cooking
and eating, and will be enjoyed
throughout the meal.
Gabby Peterson is one of
Anita’s best friends. They decided it would be exciting to cook
a special meal for their combined
families—which would number
seven people. This writer was one
of the lucky guests. Being greeted
at the door by two gracious hostesses, in denim pleated look-alike skirts, was a lovely sight
even before the special food. After requesting my coat, they escorted me to the kitchen of
Gabby’s parents, Doreen and
Scott Peterson where I was given
a glass of cold cider.
We moved to the dining room.
A platter of very colorful vegetable bites was offered, perfectly
presented on a white rectangular
plate. They chose red peppers,
green peppers, and carrots, all cut
lengthwise and arranged in rows
that dramatically accommodated
the plate’s shape. If children are
allowed to choose their food, often the most colorful will be selected —which usually just happens to be the most nutritious.
As we finished the cider and
veggie bites, the girls wheeled
over a cart with a mini-salad bar
arranged on the top. Beside a
beautiful bowl of torn mixed
greens were smaller bowls of
chickpeas, croutons, onions, olives, walnuts, tomatoes, and several dressings to satisfy everyone’s tastes. It was a treat to take
a small wooden bowl and create
my salad. Here was a perfect exercise for their age, in planning,
tearing, cutting, and presenting.
Coconut rice was the main
course. What better way to learn
to cook a staple and yet make it
fun with the use of coconut milk?
Wanting to add an interesting legume, Gabby’s visiting Grandma
Elaine suggested the pigeon peas
that she uses in her home in Jamaica. It worked! Delicious!
And, everyone learned another
way to have rice.
Recipes do not need to be
dumbed-down for children. They
can accept each step as it comes
and work very focused with patient and gentle direction. It is
wise to always suggest what
should be done, rather than use
the words no or don’t. When children hear, “Don’t do that,” they
are left with only what not to do,
and confused as to what the next
action should be. If they are redirected instead with what to do,
their attention immediately goes
to the next step, and with a less
negative feeling.
Children who feel secure in
the kitchen make good sous chefs
who give an added energy to
mealtime preparation.
The experience needs to be
positive and there is nothing more
positive than learning to clean as
you go. Put away items as they
are used, or at least move them to
one spot from where they can be
easily put away while being out
of the way. Rinsing a utensil and
putting it by the sink while it is
still in your hand from use is a
near blessing at the end. To have
the kitchen seem in order when
cooking is finished leads to a
feeling of accomplishment, and
the desire to cook more often.
Always notice a child’s comfort level. Children can safely use
utensils or be close to a stove at
varying ages. Gabby is comfortable with the knife and cutting the
vegetables. Anita is still a bit
leery about a spitting boiling pot,
but feels safe when told how to
handle it. Test certain activities
with simple tasks.
>
Cut first with a paring knife,
rather than a chef’s knife, and be
sure it is sharp. A dull knife is
unsafe. First choose something
that will cut easily, such as a banana, ripe pear; or cut sliced tomatoes into smaller pieces. Be
sure the knife is held by the handle with one hand with the fingers
of the other hand resting as a
guide softly on top of the knife,
then— after an initial push with
the knife, if needed transfer that
hand, fingers curled, to hold the
item being cut, angling the blade
so the cutting surface is slanted
away from fingers. For round
items such as carrots and potatoes, first cut off a slice to make a
flat base before further cutting.
This exercise leads the way to
using a chef’s knife which well
serves a good cook.
Be sure to place a damp folded
towel under round items such as
bowls, so that they are anchored
to the counter.
A good sturdy footstool or
stepladder with a back brace, is a
must for most children to be able
to safely reach the stove or
counter level. At the stove be sure
the spoon and handle are large
enough for stirring so that arms
can stay clear of the sides of the
pot. Teach the circle eight pattern
while stirring liquid so that most
of the bottom of the pot is covered and fewer splashes are generated.
Of course, always stay close at
hand ready to step in if need be.
Young children should never be
left alone with a cutting knife or
at a working stove.
Actions that are elementary to
adults must be learned by children. Taught step-by-step how to
conduct themselves in the
kitchen, they gain confidence.
Confidence breeds self-esteem…and hopefully, great cooks, or
should we say great chefs!
Anita (left) and Gabby holding their cutting exercise and presentation of red peppers, green peppers, and carrots.
Behind them is the "salad bar" they created as a play on the
ones they see at the deli. This one was to be a "home version".
Tofu Scrambled “Eggs”
In a medium skillet, over medium heat, add about a walnutsize piece of Earth Balance® vegan margarine, or 1 rounded tablespoon. Allow to melt, but not
brown.
Open a container of silken,
firm, or extra firm tofu, and
squeeze the contents, chunks at a
time, in your fist allowing it to
drop into the skillet through your
fingers for a crumbled effect. Stir
to coat with margarine.
Sprinkle with a pinch of turmeric to give the tofu an egg
color. Add salt or tamari to taste.
Heat through.
Finish with a sprinkle of black
pepper. As a special touch, add a
tablespoon of capers. If desired,
add a parsley sprig to garnish,
and to eat!
Coconut Rice & Pigeon Peas
Makes 8-10 servings
5½ cups water
4 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
2 cups coconut milk
2 cans pigeon peas, drained, or to
make about 3 to 4 cups
8 sprigs of fresh thyme, or ¼ t.
dried thyme
½ c. olive oil
Salt
Over high heat, add and stir all
ingredients in a heavy-bottomed
saucepan. Bring to a boil uncovered, then reduce heat, cover pot.
Simmer for about 30 minutes until rice is cooked.
Monmouth NJ, February 16 2005:
Lynn Surgalla, vegan, science
advisor to the Green Party of the
U.S.A., returned from The Global
Environmental Meetings at the World
Social Forum where she spoke.
150,000 people were there in Brazil.
When Linda Long told us about a vegan Thanksgiving celebration that used to be held in a small back
room of a restaurant but now uses the main dining area of an esteemed eating establishment to accommodate the growing crowd, we asked her how this came about. She set about gathering information when to
her delight she was invited to fly down from New York as a special guest to personally cover the event!
The vegans are coming!
Linda Long reports on:
Have you ever seen a long line
of people waiting to eat, with no
complaining, and on Thanksgiving Day at that? Then come to
Durham North Carolina, to Café
Parizäde, at noon. The very popular restaurant, owned by Georgio
Bakatsias—who also owns many
other leading edge eateries in the
Raleigh-Chapel Hill-Durham area
—is taken over each Thanksgiving by the Triangle Vegetarian
Society, headed by Dilip Barman.
The menu is totally vegan.
The restaurant’s huge kitchen
is overseen by incredible mainstream chef, Robert Adams, who
is now well-versed on how to
produce a feast to meet the vegan
standard, as this is the sixth year
for the event at Café Parizäde.
This Thanksgiving Day gathering
started about 11 years ago and
has grown by 20% to 30% annually. This November (2004) the
Thanksgiving
in
Durham North Carolina
Georgio, Robert, and an amazingly talented pastry chef, Lou
Mincey, honor every detail of the
vegan dietary requirements: absolutely no animal products, no refined sugar, no honey. According
to Lou, “I felt challenged in the
beginning, but I was soon amazed
at how great the cakes, cookies
and candies came out. The use of
vinegar and egg-replacer powder
has been an eye-opener”. From
this writer’s point of view, it is
event drew over 360 happy din- worth the trip to Durham just for
ers. Next year there will probably this experience. One diner said, “I
be two seatings, as they expect get emotional when this day
well over 400. According to comes as I can eat anything I see
Dilip, this is the largest vegan in such abundance. I feel so
event of its kind in the country. blessed I nearly cry.”
Dilip and Robert collaborate
The $20 fixed price for members
is amazing when you see the long on the menu and recipes. Since
30-foot buffet of savory dishes Dilip teaches vegan cooking, he
and the 15-foot buffet of pastry knows what will appeal to his
members and their guests. He
items. It’s a sight to behold!
merely has to suggest ingredients to Robert and
then magical, flavorful
dishes are created. Robert
adds, “It was a challenge at
first, and a learning process, especially to consider
the protein needs. Now, we
enjoy the day and know
exactly what to do. The
customers are obviously
happy as the plates are
Parizäde’s Georgio Bakatsias
piled very high and come
(left), with head chef Robert Adams.
back clean!”
Photos by Linda Long
Although Georgio has quite a
schedule overseeing all his restaurants in the area he is always
at Café Parizäde on this day to
see that the staff is ready. The
exotic fresh flowers are arranged
to his elegant taste, reflecting his
personal touch and creative vision. While adjusting some purple lilies and some long-stemmed
cabbage-like blooms, he offered,
“There seems to be such a growing market in this area for vegan
food that I am considering adding
a separate section on the menu for
it.” Now, THAT would be newsworthy worldwide!
Diners enjoying vegan feast, November 25 2004
Café Parizade, Erwin Square, 2200 West Main Street, Durham,
North Carolina, near the Duke University Campus, (919)286-9712.
www.food-passion.com
The Café Parizäde’s November 25 2004
Vegan Thanksgiving Menu
Starters:
Entrees:
Quinoa Salad with olives,
shallots, pine nuts, sun-dried
tomatoes, garlic, arugula &
rosemary caramelized pear;
Spinach Orzo with pesto;
Braised Garlicky Greens;
Hearts of Romaine with
lemon, olive oil & capers;
String Beans Almondine;
Lightly Steamed Corn-off-the-Cob
with smoked poblanos & cumin,
sprinkled with lime juice & salt;
Roasted Exotic Mushrooms
with fennel seed, garlic, &
drizzled with white truffle oil;
Citrus Couscous with dried
fruits & chickpeas;
Mediterranean Minty Fatoush
with toasted flatbread;
Breads, Crustinis & Pitas;
Hummuses:
Egyptian Red Lentil;
Artichoke-Spinach;
Baba Ganouj;
Marinated Olives;
Spiced Pecans.
Dilip’s Cherry-Kissed &
Seared Tempeh with bok
choy in coconut milk curry;
Moroccan Sweet Potato &
Squash Tagine;
Shepherd’s Pie with wheat
gluten, roasted root vegetables &
mushrooms, with mashed potato
topping;
Roasted Chestnut-Barley
Risotto with Brussels sprouts;
Orecchiette Pasta with fresh
tomato-basil sauce;
Mashed Potatoes with garlic
& chives;
Mushroom Gravy;
Apple-Pecan & Cornbread
Stuffing,
Fresh Raspberry-Cranberry
Relish;
Black Mission Fig Chutney;
Wild Rice with crook-necked
squash;
Country Corn Bread;
Sweet Potato-Leek Potato
Veloute (thickened soup).
Desserts:
Fresh Seasonal Fruits;
Phyllo Cookies;
Pumpkin Pie with pomegranate glaze;
Cherry Crisp;
Cinnamon Currant Apple Pie;
Chocolate Banana Cake;
Spiced Bundt Cake;
Ginger Cookies;
Dozens of varieties of
Chocolate & Caramel
Candies, and
Small Tart Squares.
Beverages:
Cider;
Cranberry Juice;
Herbal Teas;
Coffee.
Left: Choosing desserts
of candies and small
tarts, served on an antique framed mirror.
Right: Pastry chef Lou
Minsky shows Chocolate Banana Cake
Below:
Nutty Phyllo Cookie Crisps
Triangle Vegetarian Society
P.O. Box 3364 Chapel Hill NC 27515-3364
(919) 489-3340 www.Trianglevegsociety.org or
www.Trianglevegsociety.org/thanksgiving04
The Triangle Vegetarian Society organizes a
potluck dinner once a month. On their website,
they review different restaurants rating them for
cost, food, sensitivity to vegans, service, etc.
Since Dilip travels for his job (he is a full-time
engineer for IBM), he has been able to review
restaurants around the country and the world.
Dilip Barman with Linda Long
Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club
And, if all this were not enough….
The four-star Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club on the Duke University campus
provided a place for me to stay in Durham.
They prepared a special vegan lunch for Dilip and me. The Inn’s young Executive
Chef, Jason Cunningham, tested his extraordinary skills executing four courses of
colorful and very tasty vegan dishes that included a Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
with julienne granny smith apples; Porcini Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with roasted
carrot emulsion; Grilled Eggplant & Tofu with spicy red curry; and Apple
Chardonnay Sorbet. Lucky us!
Sharon Van Vechten, who has ushered many chefs and restaurants to stardom,
organized my visit.
Dilip’s Cherry-Kissed
& Seared Tempeh
with Bok Choy in a
Coconut Milk Curry
Serves 4-6
Tempeh:
8-oz. pkg. Tempeh
(usually 4x8x½”)
cherry juice (optional)
grape-seed or canola oil
10 dark red cherries,
fresh or frozen, sliced
2 Tbsp. cherry liqueur (optional)
1 medium onion, sliced ½ moons
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 Tbsp. ginger, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
¼ small red Thai chili, seeded &
minced (optional)
Curry (See below, or buy a coconut- based Thai red curry paste.)
12-14 oz. coconut milk
12 small pieces of bok choy
Slice the tempeh lengthwise to
create two thinner pieces. Stack
and continue to cut until you get
about 32 pieces 1x2x¼”. If marinating with cherry juice, cover
tempeh pieces with the juice for
4-8 hours.
Cover the bottom of an 8”skillet with oil and heat at medium high. Sauté the tempeh until
golden brown—about 3 minutes
on each side. Remove tempeh to
a bed of paper towels, which will
soak off excess oil. Decant and
save excess oil.
Cut each cherry into 3 or 4
slices to have one slice per piece
of tempeh. Place in skillet as one
layer and place a tempeh piece on
top of each cherry slice. Sear for
3 to 4 minutes until cherry slices
have dried and stuck to the tempeh. (Optional: Add cherry liqueur; cook on high until it sizzles away.) Remove tempeh to
paper towels. Remove cherries
from tempeh.
Using medium high heat and
reserved oil, sauté onion, garlic,
and ginger for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are caramelized.
Add bell pepper and chili. Cover
and sauté 3 to 5 minutes until
slightly softened.
Add tempeh, curry recipe, coconut milk, and bok choy pieces.
Stir over medium heat until coconut milk bubbles gently.
Serve over jasmine rice, brown
rice, quinoa, or potatoes.
Curry:
½ small fresh red chili—seeded,
and minced (or ⅛ tsp. cayenne)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ginger, crushed
Oil for sautéing
1 onion, medium, finely chopped
1 lemon zest
1 tsp. coriander, ground
1 tsp. cumin, ground
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. black pepper, ground
Make a paste from the red
chili, garlic and ginger. Sauté the
onion till golden. Add the paste
and the rest of the ingredients.
Cook, stirring, for three minutes.
(Or use ¼ cup purchased Thai
red curry paste with the onion.)
———————————-
Recipes
by Robert Adams:
Roasted Mushrooms
1 pound mushrooms
(use field, oyster, and cremini)
1 Tbsp. fennel seed, crushed
½ cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, whole
¼ cup sherry vinegar
Lemon zest, to taste
In a bowl toss mushrooms,
fennel seed and garlic in olive oil.
Roast on a sheet pan at 375°F for
20 minutes. Remove from oven.
Add lemon zest, vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mashed Potatoes
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
½ cup garlic, chopped
1 to 2 cups Silk® soymilk
4 oz Earth Balance® spread
2 Tbsp. chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash and peel potatoes, and
leave whole. Put into a pot and
cover with water. Boil till tender.
Drain. Sauté garlic till golden,
add a little salt, the spread and
soymilk. Simmer briefly. Mash
the potatoes. Gradually whip in
garlic-soymilk mixture until
smooth and of desired consistency. Season to taste. Toss in
chives.
Sweet Potato Tagine
4 sweet potatoes, peeled
2 butternut squash, peeled
1 onion, diced
4 peppers, red & green
3 tomatoes, diced
½ cup currants
1 cup dried figs
Saffron, a pinch
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger
1 cup maple syrup
1 quart vegetable stock
1 orange, zest and juice of
½ bunch cilantro
½ cup mint
Cut the sweet potatoes and
squash into large dices.
Sauté onion with saffron and
cinnamon sticks. Add sweet potato, butternut squash, peppers,
tomatoes, ginger and cumin.
Simmer for 7 minutes. Remove
cinnamon sticks. Add currants,
figs, maple syrup, stock, orange
juice and zest. Bake in 350°F
oven for 45 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and mint
leaves. Season to taste.
Apple, Pecan &
Corn Bread Stuffing
Desserts by Lou Mincey:
1 onion, diced,
3 ribs celery, diced
3 apples, peeled and diced
1 cup pecans, chopped
7 cups corn bread, crumbled
1 cup apple juice
2 cups vegetable stock
½ cup margarine
2 Tbsp. sage
1 Tbsp. thyme
Sauté onions and celery in
margarine until limp, remove
from pan and put in a bowl. Add
spices, salt, pepper, apples, pecans, and toss. Add apple juice
and stock. Fold in corn bread and
check consistency.
Put into a pan and bake for 20
minutes @ 350°F.
———————————
Filling:
3 cups canned pumpkin
1 14-oz-can coconut milk
1¼ cups dry sweetener
(Florida Crystals® or Sucanat®)
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. cloves
Egg replacer equivalent to 3 eggs
1½ Tbsp. starch
1 tsp. salt
Mix all in a big bowl, or use a
food processor. Pour into baked
crust (9 or 10” springform pan).
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Crust:
¼ cup margarine, melted
¼ cup graham crumbs
(Hidden Valley® or Nabisco®)
¼ cup dry sweetener
1 cup flour
Mix all together. Press into
bottom of springform pan. Bake
at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Corn Bread
Serves 8
1½ cups soymilk
1½ Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose
flour
2 Tbsp. raw sugar
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. oil
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Nutty Phyllo Cookie Crisp
[
½ lb. margarine, melted
¼ cup dry sweetener
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 sheets phyllo dough (thawed)
½ cup mixed nuts, chopped
Spread out one sheet of phyllo
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Comon a cookie sheet prepared with
bine soymilk and vinegar. Mix
melted margarine.Lightly brush
together the dry ingredients. Add
margarine over the phyllo.
the liquid mix and the oil. Stir
Combine sweetener and
just enough to combine. Spread
cinnamon. Sprinkle one third of the
into a 9” square or round nonstick mixture on the phyllo sheet. Repeat
pan or one that has been prepared with next two sheets, making a pile.
with some oil. Bake 25 to 30 min- Cut pile into six squares using a
utes. Test with a toothpick in the
paring knife. Then sprinkle with
center for doneness.
nuts. Bake at 400°F until lightly
-Linda Long
brown and caramelized.
Ener-G Egg Replacer® A Culinary Egg Substitute is used to
replace eggs in cooking. It is not nutritionally the same as eggs. It is a
powder composed of thickening agents, leavening, and gum.
PROTECTING ALL ANIMALS:
A Fifty-Year History of
The Humane Society
of the United States
by Bernard Unti
A growing responsibility for all
life within our sphere of influence
—human, animal, and the natural
world—is expressed in the history
of the Humane Society of the
United States. Spanning 50 years
of advocacy and action on behalf
of many classes of animals, the
roots of the society go back almost a hundred years. Its future
promises to nurture a rising level
of enlightenment both within the
society and the public at large.
Bernard Unti delved into the
archives to produce this fascinating in-depth history of HSUS, its
personnel, and its times. The book
chronicles the beginnings, in
the1860s, of the modern humane
movement in the U.S. Interesting
too is HSUS’ interaction with
other pro-animal societies.
The HSUS is important to all
of us because of the quality of its
work, its size, and reach. It does
valuable investigation, resulting in
implementation of existing laws
that protect animals, and to create
a foundation upon which to lobby
for new laws. Its campaigns have
confronted commercial whaling,
factory farming, pet overpopulation, and the fur industry. Education has always been in the fore.
2004, 248 pages, 7x10”, $125.00
hardcover, casebound with foil
stamping; $29.50 softcover. Order
from HSUS, 2100 L Street NW,
Washington DC 20037
American Vegan Society is seeking interns to work at the
Malaga NJ office to help with
society work. Computer skills,
writing ability, and careful math
required. Please inquire.
Do your part!
Compost — Nature’s Way of Recycling
Andrea Vendittis
Recycling glass, metal
and plastic successfully diverts some of our waste from
going to the landfill, but an
alarming 30% of household
trash consists of yard clippings and food scraps that
don’t get recycled.*
This waste ends up in the landfill where it rots and produces
methane gas, a by-product of decomposition without air. Composting is nature’s solution to this
problem since it turns organic
waste into rich, dark humus that
supports life and enriches the soil.
Composting also provides a rewarding opportunity to personally
contribute to the earth and the
environment.
Composting can be done practically anywhere—all that is
needed is the desire to do it. The
simplest way to compost is to literally bury your kitchen scraps.
Make sure you dig a hole at least
12’’ deep, drop the scraps in the
bottom of the hole and cover with
soil. This method works fine if
you don’t have a need for finished compost, and have the
space to dig holes.
Another popular method is to
maintain a compost pile. Compost piles can be kept in just
about anything: a box made from
four pallets from the grocery
store—with the corners tied together, large trash cans that have
had the bottoms sawn off and
holes drilled in the sides for air
flow, a pile in the yard, or a purchased bin if you prefer.
Visit www.composters.com
for a variety of options. You can
also get some great ideas for
homemade bins.
What can be composted?
Nitrogen (N) Ingredients,
referred to as “Greens”
•
Fresh (green) grass clippings
(Spread in thin layers so they
don’t clump together. Make sure
there are no pesticides.)
•
Vegan food scraps
(No animal products; nor high fat
items, such as peanut butter)
•
•
•
•
Coffee grounds and Tea bags
Hair clippings
Crop debris
Fresh weeds
(Excepting pernicious weeds
that might re-sprout from stems
or roots)
Carbon (C) Items
referred to as “Browns”
•
•
•
Dry leaves
Dryer lint
Dry grass clippings
(Brown/straw-like grass, dried in
the sun for at least a day)
•
•
•
Straw
Wood Clippings/Chips
Shredded pine needles,
(In small amounts since they
decompose slowly and can
make finished compost acidic.)
•
•
•
Shredded paper
Paper towels
Fireplace ashes
(Light sprinklings)
An ideal compost pile should
be about 25-50% (N) and 50-75%
(C). The above lists will help you
determine which category your
waste falls under.
All you need to do is make
sure your pile is balanced by containing matter from both lists.
Compost will occur on its own
in about 3-6 months if you do
nothing more than add material
and water to your pile. If you can
find the time, turn the pile from
outside to middle at least once. A
faster breakdown requires a little
more effort on your part such as
putting smaller particles in the
pile, adding more (N) sources to
increase the temperature and turning the pile regularly to allow for
more air flow. The more attention
you pay to your pile the more active it will be.
Getting Started
Winter is a dormant, or slow
time for most compost piles
(unless you live in a warmer
area), so now is a good time to
get everything ready to start in
the spring. Keep a separate covered container in the kitchen just
for compost matter. Food scraps
can also be frozen to halt the decomposition process until you are
ready to put them in the pile!
The next step is gathering a
good supply of (C) ingredients so
the microorganisms that break
down the compost will have a
food source. In the spring, dry
leaves might not be so readily
available so opt for other sources
of (C) such as dried grass clippings, shredded paper or straw.
Start layering the ingredients by
putting a good foundation of
coarse (C) on the bottom, a layer
of (N), another layer of (C), a
light sprinkling of ashes, and so
forth. Finally, insulate the top of
the pile with several inches of
straw. Cover your pile with a tarp
or lid to deter wildlife, and to
help keep moisture in and rain or
snow out.
After a few days you will discover that your pile has shrunk
considerably due to dehydration.
Before adding more material, test
the pile for dampness and heat.
Ideally the pile should be about as
damp as a wrung-out sponge and
should feel hot to the touch or
between 110 and 140°F. Using
gloves, determine if the center of
the pile is hot to the touch. If it’s
not, you need more (N) ingredients to warm things up. If your
pile feels dry, it needs water.
Compost thermometers are available, but touching the pile works
just fine. You can add more waste
to your pile by digging 6-10”
down into the center and depositing more matter.
Another important factor for a
healthy pile is aeration. If using a
bin, simply dump out the pile, or
lift up and relocate the bottomless
bin and then put the compost
back in your bin using a pitchfork
or shovel. If you have an open
pile, or limited space, use your
tool to lift, poke and mix it
around without relocating it. If
necessary, add water from a
bucket or by spraying with a
hose.
Try to check on your pile
about once a week. Even if you
skip this step Mother Nature will
do the job, but at a much slower
pace. Compost throughout the
year; lots of compost materials
are available in the Fall.
Now that you have the composting basics, here are some possible problems and solutions:
Rotten smell—could be anaerobic or too much (N). Add
more (C); aerate.
• Pile too wet. Add dry (C).
• Pile attracts wildlife—line the
bottom of the bin with mesh wiring and make sure the foodstuffs
are buried deep in the middle.
Make sure the pile is covered. If
you live in a rural area, you might
want to consider using a bin
that’s off the ground, such as a
tumbler. If rodents are a problem,
try sprinkling cayenne pepper liberally around your pile.
• Flies—make sure the food is
not readily available and that it’s
covered with straw and/or buried
deep in the pile. (Worms and
other insects in the pile indicate a
healthy pile.)
•
•
•
Pile too cold—add more (N).
Pile too hot (over 140°F.—
add more (C).
Once you have finished compost, it should have an earthy,
soil-like smell, and look like a
black, rich humus. Some particles
might be recognizable, such as
straw or larger wood particles.
Depending on the method used,
you might only have finished
compost at the bottom of your
pile rather than throughout the
whole pile.
Congratulations! Compost can
be used as a mulch, mixed in with
clay or sandy soil to improve soil
conditions, sprinkled on your
lawn, used in potting mixes for
household plants, or made into a
“tea” for a safe liquid fertilizer.
Composting is a fun and easy
way to turn our organic waste
into a valuable gift for the environment. Once composting becomes a part of your life, it is
hard to imagine living without it.
For more information, please see
http://vegweb.com/composting/
*
Utilizing yard and kitchen wastes
(which make up about 30% of the
waste stream in the USA [1]) is a big
part of the plan to minimize waste
overall.
(1) BACKYARD COMPOSTING,
Harmonious Press, 1992, p. 7.
Also: www.compostguide.com
If you have companion animals,
manure from herbivorous animals,
such as rabbits, could be put in the
compost, but never add cat or dog
feces. Strictly veganic or stock-free
composting does not utilize added
manure of any kind.
Progresso® has removed
“natural flavoring” from Lentil
Soup in its Vegetable Classics
line. This Lentil Soup is now
labeled vegetarian. The change
took place in early 2004, although
only recently noticed by AVS.
“Natural flavors” may be derived
from plant or animal sources, are
rarely disclosed, and should be
viewed with suspicion. Hence they
are often rejected in vegan circles.
Pitman NJ:
Marian Little died March 25 2005
of cancer, suddenly. She was a supporter and volunteer with The Green
Party, Vegetarian Society of South
Jersey, and the American Vegan
Society. She taught many vegan
cooking classes in colleges and high
schools in South Jersey.
Meatout Mondays
Meatout Mondays is an
attractive weekly e-newsletter
with a delicious vegan recipe,
an inspirational message, a
featured vegan product, and
an informative article that will
help people kick the meat
habit every Monday.
To sign on go to
www.meatoutmondays.org.
Book review:
T. Colin Campbell, PhD
I feel privileged to have been
given a pre-publication copy of
Dr. Campbell’s outstanding book
and am pleased to provide a review for American Vegan.
-Robert F. Warren, MD
When it comes to making a
dietary lifestyle choice based on
compassion, the vegan diet is a
clear slam-dunk! So compelling
is her desire to be compassionate
to all living beings, that my wife
would choose a vegan way of life
even if it proved to be unhealthy!
Placing that admirable (and
life-saving for me) commitment
and zeal aside, does scientific research acknowledge health benefits from changing to a plantbased diet? In no place is the expression “it’s not that we don’t
know enough; it’s that we know
so much that just ain’t so” more
apt than in the field of nutrition
and health. The answer is clear
and it is conclusive: a plant-based
diet is safer and healthier, and the
research clearly supports it. The
immediate question arises as to
why we don’t already know this
and why it isn’t being taught in
all of our schools? How has it not
become the American way of
life? Dr. Campbell partially answers that question in his introduction by saying the real science
has been buried beneath a clutter
of irrelevant or even harmful information—junk science, fad diets, and food industry propaganda.
T. Colin Campbell was raised
on a dairy farm and entered college as a pre-veterinary medical
student. One year into veterinary
graduate training he transferred to
Cornell to do graduate research in
animal nutrition. His PhD research was devoted to finding
better ways to make cows and
sheep grow faster. As time went
by, his research led him to completely change his opinion and
ultimately advocate a plant-based
diet and the avoidance of animal
protein, a position that would
have been inconceivable to him
in his youth. Dr. Campbell’s research and his conclusions are
even more valid when one appreciates that unlike most research,
his work was paid for by grants
from the National Institutes of
Health, the American Cancer Society, and the American Institute
for Cancer Research. These organizations are nonprofit and his
conclusions were determined by
the data rather than a political,
financial, or special interest influence. Dr. Campbell describes his
book as the story of how food can
change our lives. After four decades in nutrition study, education,
and policy making, he says: I
have spent my career in research
and teaching unraveling the complex mystery of why health eludes
some and embraces others, and I
now know that food primarily determines that outcome.
The book is in four major parts.
The first part is called The China
Study. In the introduction to this
portion, Dr. Campbell notes that
we have the most expensive
health care system in the world in
terms of total dollars and cost per
capita. Over the past 20 years,
Americans have not become
healthier. We are still dying at an
alarming rate from cardiovascular
disease. In addition, the rate of
diabetes has risen to one out of
thirteen Americans, and the incidence among young people in
their 30s has increased 70%. Dr.
Campbell declares his only interest is to explain the scientific basis for his points of view and give
us evidence to support a plantbased diet; the rest is up to us.
The first part of Section One
discusses the issue of protein. Dr.
Campbell dispels the notion that
plant protein is inferior to animal
protein, and provides data to indicate that Americans are actually
getting too much protein of the
wrong type, which is clearly deleterious. Campbell’s research
showed that when exposed to carcinogenic agents, the likelihood
that cancer would develop increased with increasing intake of
protein. Further study showed
that the type of protein was also
extremely important in that cancer promotion by animal protein
was specific and cancer was not
promoted by even higher doses of
plant protein. Dr. Campbell and
his graduate students conducted
many experiments and their data
came forth in the 1980s to clearly
show that nutrition was a far
more important factor in controlling cancer promotion than the
dose of initiating carcinogenic
agents. Furthermore, the pattern
was beginning to emerge that nutrients from animal-based foods
increased tumor development,
while nutrients from plant-based
food decreased tumor development. Although this data was
compelling, it was all developed
in a laboratory environment.
Cancer Atlas Survey
In the 1970s, following the
death of Chou En-Lai of cancer, a
huge study was carried out, by
650,000 Chinese health workers,
to determine the death rates from
12 different types of cancer in
2400 Chinese counties. It involved 880,000,000 people
which, at that time, represented
96% of their population. China
provided a fertile ground for investigation since 87% of their
population was of the same ethnic
Han people. It was found that the
cancer rate for the same tumor
varied as much as 100-fold from
county to county (on average, 9094% of adult subjects lived in the
same county where they were
born). Results were shown on an
intriguing map.
An extraordinary opportunity
for developing human data on
nutrition arose with improving
relations with China, and when
Dr. Junshi Chen came to work in
Campbell’s laboratory. Dr. Chen,
Deputy Director of China’s premier health research laboratory,
was instrumental in putting together a cooperative effort among
Dr. Campbell of Cornell, Dr.
Richard Peto of Oxford University, as well as Chinese doctors.
The China Study
This project came to be
known as The China Study. It
proposed to examine the underlying dietary and environmental
conditions of that intriguing
map.
For this epic study, epidemiologic data was collected from
65 counties and blood tests
were analyzed from 6500 individuals, which resulted in more
than 8000 statistically significant associations. Diseases of
affluence (nutritional extravagance), included cancers of the
colon, lung, breast, leukemia,
childhood brain, stomach, and
liver; diabetes and coronary
heart disease. The diseases of
poverty (those of nutritional inadequacy and poor sanitation)
included pneumonia, intestinal
obstruction, peptic ulcer, digestive disease, pulmonary tuberculosis, parasitic disease, rheumatic
heart disease, metabolic and endocrine disease other than diabetes, diseases of pregnancy, and
many others. Dr. Campbell makes
the important distinction that
these disease groupings do not
overlap and that as the blood cholesterol values dropped there was
a dramatic decrease in the diseases of affluence. We are now
aware of the association of heart
disease and blood cholesterol,
and The China Study revealed
that the death rate from coronary
heart diseases was 17 times
higher among American men than
rural Chinese men. What is not
commonly known is that the
American death rate from breast
cancer was 5 times higher than
the rural Chinese rate. It is
pointed out that animal-based
foods correlated with increasing
blood cholesterol, and plant-
T. Colin Campbell, PhD
File Photo 2002, by Anne Dinshah
based foods with decreasing cholesterol blood levels. What is not
commonly known is that consumption of animal-based protein
has a more dramatic cholesterolraising effect than the consumption of saturated fat and dietary
cholesterol itself.
The China Study also notes the
average age of menarche in
America is approximately 11
years while in China it averages
17 years of age. The risk of breast
cancer is apparently a function of
the lifetime exposure to estrogen
and breast cancer rates are associated with early menarche, high
blood cholesterol, late menopause, and high exposure to female hormones, all of which is
consistent with a high fat diet. An
additional benefit of the delayed
onset of menarche may be to reduce teenage pregnancies. It is
also pointed out that only a plantbased diet can provide fiber—an
essential for good health; animal
foods contain no dietary fiber. Dr.
Campbell remarks that the beautiful colors of vegetables are in-
dicative of their antioxidant content, an additional health benefit
of plant consumption. In areas
where vitamin-C containing fruit
was consumed, there was a 5 to 8
times lower incidence of cancer
than in areas of the lowest fruit
intake.
If protein should be limited to
10% of our intake, and fat certainly less than 30%, the remainder is carbohydrate. Restricting
our carbohydrates at the expense
of eating higher fat and more protein is clearly unhealthy; ergo,
there is no health basis for recommending low-carb diets.
Among other surprising numbers derived from The China
Study was the fact that the
Chinese, on average, consumed 30% more calories
per kilogram of body
weight than Americans,
and their body weight was
20% lower. Even the most
sedentary Chinese office
workers had the same consistent numbers. The
China Study observed that
the Chinese consume more
calories because they are
more physically active and
because their consumption
of a low-fat, low-protein
diet shifts the conversion
of these calories away
from body fat to produce
body heat. This conclusion is also
supported by laboratory experiments.
The central portion of the book
brings together the research that
Dr. Campbell has done, as well as
that of others, to discuss the individual diseases of diabetes, heart
disease, cancer, and autoimmune
diseases, as well as the wideranging benefits of a plant-based
diet, on almost all organ systems.
In the closing chapters, Dr.
Campbell asks and answers the
question, “Why haven’t you
heard this before?” He discusses
the dark side of science, elucidating the political and economic
motivations controlling the information and action flow. He even
discusses, in a very interesting
way, why some multi-million
dollar studies, such as a nurse’s
health study, although obviously
well conducted, produced only
negative results. The scientific
method, in general, attempts to
isolate variables and study them
one at a time. If such an approach
is used to study systems in which
multiple factors must work in
Photo by Jim Oswald
concert to effect change, it will
fail. In other words, if a plantbased diet can be shown to reduce
breast cancer over the standard
American diet, a study which
breaks down the individual components, such as fiber, fat, antioxidant, phytochemicals, and animal vs. plant protein, may not
show the benefit of any one plant
substance over an equivalent animal substance because the bene-
fits require a combination of not
easily isolatable substances from
the plant diet. The China Study
shows conclusively that a plantbased diet has far-reaching benefits, whereas these individual
studies have shown that trying to
compare its individual components in isolation does not show
the same benefits. One must be
careful judging the relevance of
such papers and Dr. Campbell
helps us to separate the forest
from the trees.
The China Study is not a sales
pitch. Rather, it is an offering
from a brilliant and respected scientist who has performed groundbreaking and meaningful work in
the field of nutrition for more
than 40 years. He brings to this
book his experience, his integrity,
his research, and that of many
others, to show us that there is a
clear pathway by which we can
help ourselves avoid the pitfalls
inherent in embracing the common American diet. Although we,
by far, do not have all of the answers, we have more than enough
good data upon which to base a
rejection of our unhealthy, carnivorous, ways in favor of a more
compassionate and healthy plantbased diet. There are many aspects of American life where economic interests overshadow truth
and are promoted in spite of what
is morally and scientifically correct. There is no clearer example
of that than in the field of nutrition; and Dr. Campbell, for our
benefit, offers us an avenue of
clarity with this wonderful book.
I intend to distribute as many
copies of this book as I can. It is
empowering and very readable.
Do not miss an opportunity to
read The China Study and benefit
from its wisdom.
RFW
Book review:
Food Allergy Survival Guide
Vesanto Melina, Jo Stepaniak, & Dina Aronso
Dr. T. Colin Campbell
gives us Eight Principles for
Food and Health. How his
nutrition studies led to these
conclusions is an odyssey of
rigorous research. He challenges concepts, and the
solutions sought.
Campbell’s unified approach respects the integrated systems in our food,
bodies, and ecosystems. It’s
fascinating science, and reason for optimism. He eases
concern about matters beyond our control.
Having formerly assumed
the preeminence of animal
protein, his studies now
show the blessings and superior nature of plant-food.
Regrettably, health studies are influenced, and public attitudes swayed, by
Food Industry tactics. Dr.
Campbell reveals all, and
enlightens us!
The CHINA STUDY!
–T. Colin Campbell, PhD, with
Thomas M. Campbell II, 2005,
6¼x9¼”, 417 pp, hard, $24.95.
Order books from AVS.
There’s a new book on the market that combines scientificallybased information on food sensitivities with recipes that are entirely
free of the major allergens. Food
Allergy Survival Guide will be welcomed by those with wheat or gluten
sensitivity who want tasty baked
goods; people wanting guidance in
meeting calcium needs without dairy
products; vegetarians who wish to
avoid soy; those with multiple food
sensitivities; parents who wish to
decrease the risk of food allergies in
their children; people who need to
improve their intestinal health; individuals who may find a link between
conditions such as arthritis, asthma,
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Candida, depression,
dermatitis, digestive disorders, fatigue, or headaches and their diet;
those who want to be well nourished
despite their allergies.
Food Allergy Survival Guide provides basic information on food sensitivities, insight into the various
types of allergy testing, along with
tremendously helpful tips for cooking, shopping, nutrition planning,
and managing the emotional aspects
of food sensitivities. It is designed
for families that include adults or
children with food sensitivities, and
includes tips on how to decrease the
risk of allergies developing in the
first place.
New Books:
MAKING KIND CHOICES
Everyday Ways to Enhance
Your Life Through Earth &
Animal Friendly Living –Ingrid
Newkirk (PETA), foreword by Sir
Paul McCartney. Stories of Ingrid’s
personal growth and experiences,
and of friends, are key to imbuing
readers with daily habits that pave
the way to happier lives.
2005, 472 pages, 5½x8¼” $13.95.
This book is a treasure for those
with multiple food sensitivities. It
provides extensive information and
an excellent collection of recipes for
those with sensitivities to dairy
products, eggs, gluten, tree nuts,
peanuts, soy, yeast, fish and shellfish, and wheat.
Recipes, which comprise half of
the book, include hearty and appealing breakfasts without eggs; numerous lunch box tips; soy-free entrées
and spreads; and celebration foods.
The gluten-free baked goods (such
as scones and pumpkin spice bread)
are appetizing and nutritious. A detailed nutritional analysis follows
each recipe in the book, providing
reassurance for those with special
dietary needs.
The book includes an extensive
resource list that is useful for tracking down less common ingredients
and learning more about specific
allergies. If you or someone you
care about has food sensitivities, this
book offers practical and appealing
solutions.
Reviewed by Brenda Davis, RD
FOOD ALLERGY SURVIVAL
GUIDE Delicious Recipes &
Complete Nutrition by Vesanto
Melina MS RD, Jo Stepaniak MSEd,
Dina Aronso, MS RD. 2004, 7x10”,
384 pages, $19.95.
YOUR VEGETARIAN PREGANCY A Month by Month
Guide to Health and Nutrition
–Dr. Holly Roberts, DO, FACOG
A Board-Certified ObstetricianGynecologist shares a lifetime of
expertise, information, and wisdom
that will help vegetarian and vegan
women achieve healthy pregnancies.
Adequacy, and advantages, of wellchosen veg. diets are expounded.
2003, 378 pages, 6x9”, $15.00.
A letter to our readers presents a
personal perspective
on
health and life
from
Robert F. Warren, MD, FACS
I am 62 years old and
trained as an orthopedic surgeon. I always had an interest
in athletics and fitness. I participated in wrestling, gymnastics,
weight lifting, swimming and
running, and although I enjoyed
them immensely I would never
have been considered better
than mediocre as an athlete. I
was an only child and my father
worked hard to keep us in the
middle class. My mother worked
hard to fix and prepare what
she thought was the healthiest
food; we had meat in large portions at almost every meal. We
all believed that my good health
and athletic ability would be enhanced by a heavy animal protein diet. Clearly, my athletic
prowess was beyond such help.
My beliefs held through college, and even in medical
school. There were virtually no
courses on nutrition, and none
questioned the American diet.
My mother died of a heart
attack during the summer following my first year of medical
school, just after her 60th birthday. My father, suffering from
hypertension, died just after my
graduation—also from a heart
attack.
My family must have had a
genetic predisposition; I was
destined for the same fate. But
there were some differences in
lifestyle in that they became
sedentary and both smoked.
Not one to take facing death
lightly, I knew that I should
stay active, and I continue to
run and work out to this day. I
controlled my weight and didn’t
smoke. Orthopedic surgery was
my passion but I always kept an
ear open for new developments
and new information in cardiovascular medicine.
About 20 years ago, I started
hearing about the adverse effects of high blood cholesterol. I
gathered as much information
as I could, and clear patterns
were emerging from large studies performed in Scandinavia as
well as the United States.
Shortly thereafter, the most
compassionate person I have
ever met came into my life and
she was viscerally disturbed by
the prevalence of animal cruelty. As more data became
available to me and more avenues of expression to her, approximately 12 years ago we
became vegetarians.
Access to the Internet was a
big help in accumulating information. The first formal meeting
we attended together was the
hoedown at Farm Sanctuary
where we met Gene and Lorri
Bauston (who started and operate Farm Sanctuaries in Watkins
Glen New York, and California),
Sherrie Schlueter from the Animal Cruelty Unit of the Miami
Dade Police, and Howard Lyman
(The Mad Cowboy). After that
meeting, we became vegans.
We next attended the North
American Vegetarian Society’s
Summerfest at Johnstown Pennsylvania where I met Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. from The
Cleveland Clinic.
Esselstyn was to head up the
Summit on Cholesterol &
Coronary Disease in Orlando
Florida in 1997, and I signed up
to attend. To say the faculty
was elite is an understatement.
I met Bill Castelli who headed
the Framingham Study for
many years and who ultimately
became the advisor for my personal cholesterol management.
Dr. Esselstyn stated at that
summit meeting that we had
more than enough information
at this point to radically modify
our behavior and we were in a
position to promote an enormous advance in the general
health of the country. Although
to my knowledge there were
only a few physicians who were
not cardiologists at the meeting,
and I was out of my element as
an orthopedist, I obtained a
great number of references,
spent almost $1000 on slides,
and was determined to bring
this new information to the
medical staff at my hospital.
As the current chair of the
Orthopedic Department, one
morning I had a captive audience at a breakfast meeting and
gave a 45-minute presentation
outlining the metabolism of cholesterol, how the statin drugs
worked, and the amazing data
being accumulated to indicate
the dramatic effects of embracing a plant-based diet. My colleagues listened politely, finished their animal-based breakfast, thanked me for the lecture, and went their way. I was
shocked and astounded at what
had been truly an epiphany for
me was simply background
noise for them and to this day,
almost a decade later, to the
best of my knowledge none of
them have changed their dietary habits or their recommendations to their patients.
I began filling my waiting
room with vegetarian material
to the exclusion of almost anything else, and often took the
office staff out to dinner to ve-
gan restaurants. June and I atnow approximately 115 with an
waste products for which we
tended the American Vegan SoLDL in the 50s and HDL in the
have no good disposal means,
ciety Convention at Boulder and
high 40s. Over the years, I have and the enormous drain on our
a second Vegetarian Summerlost about 30 pounds and still
economy supporting preventfest, as well as an excellent Inrun four miles 4-5 days a week.
able chronic diseases.
ternational Vegetarian Congress
Another cardiac risk factor is
Medicare is in far more jeopin Toronto—a wonderful city for
homocysteine and we each
ardy than Social Security; that
vegetarians.
should have a blood level perproblem could be enormously
My wife ordered and waited
formed. Mine was over 16,
impacted by modifying the
nine months to receive a BMW
which is almost twice the allowAmerican diet to a plant-base.
Z-3—without any leather. She
able amount but was easily conIn all my research, I have
celebrated the event by obtaintrolled by supplementing with
not found one single compelling
ing license plates with the numfolic acid. You owe it to yourself
benefit for using an animal as
ber “NO-2-MEAT”. We have a
to find a physician who is inan intermediary in our food
small and not very public
chain and the reasons
parking lot, and throughto avoid doing so
out the entire seven years
abound. I am also still
she owned this vehicle
confounded by people’s
notes were left under her
resistance to listen or
windshield wipers, garbage
act upon an idea so emthrown about the car, and
powering to health and
when the top was left
so compassionate as a
vegan or vegetarian
down half-finished milk
lifestyle.
shakes and wrappers from
I have recently had
prominent fast-food resan opportunity to retaurants were thrown into
view an excellent book
its interior. What is it
by T. Colin Campbell
about a license plate that
called The China Study,
says “NO-2-MEAT” that
an exhaustive work that
would move someone to
will provide you with all
be angry enough to throw
the science you’ll ever
garbage in the car? What
need to support an aris so threatening?
Robert and June Warren
gument in favor of a
I became aware of the
File photo 1999 by Anne Dinshah
vegetarian lifestyle.
Physicians Committee for ReI also encourage you all to
sponsible Medicine, whose
formed and critically aware of
support and attend the Ameripresident is Neal Barnard, to
the current trend for managing
can Vegan Society and North
whom a great deal of credit for
blood chemistry.
American Vegetarian Society
accumulating valuable data
I would like to add that it is
conferences, and attend an
should be given.
tempting just to assume a veInternational Vegetarian ConEven on a low-fat vegan diet,
gan lifestyle and not to face the
gress if you can. The informawhich I found to be no sacrifice
resistance offered when attion is exceptional and the comwhatsoever since June my cartempting to promote it. At first
radeship cannot help but fill you
ing companion became my wife
glance, that approach seems
with hope in the knowledge that
and also an excellent vegan
harmless enough, but to do so
there are great people out there
cook, I could not drive my chois to neglect the enormous toll
as concerned as you are, trying
lesterol below 170. As more
of animal suffering, the destructo do the right thing.
data became available, it was
tion of our southwestern grazclear that a total cholesterol of
ing lands, the enormous misuse
Sincerely yours,
150, should be the maximum
of our water resources, the pheRobert F. Warren, MD, FACS
allowable and further data indinomenal accumulation of animal
cates the lower the better. It
was clear that my family history
England: Maxwell Lee died March 3 2005. When Maxwell Lee, a university
was showing its face. At Bill
lecturer in urban geography and planning, retired in 1991, it was to devote
Castelli’s advice, with a statin
more time to his vegetarian interests. He was General Secretary of the Internadrug added and using Nyaspan
tional Vegetarian Union from 1979 to 1996, then served as IVU President, and
daily, my total cholesterol is
Chair of Council until recently. He became vegetarian at 12, vegan for 21 yrs.
In the courtyard, outside the hall, there was
also a video screen set
up showing how animals
were treated to make the
cruel food so many people eat. I’m glad to be a
vegan and not eat that
nasty stuff.
For a Monday night, there sure
were a lot of people at this event.
Over 400 people were clicked
coming in the door. As they entered, their hands were stamped
and they were given ballots. In
between each act, Andy reminded
everyone to vote that night for
LA’s Best Vegan Food, and to
vote the next day in the Presidential Election.
My favorite part of the event
was the free vegan candy exchange. It was Halloween the day
before, and flyers for the event
told us that if we brought in junky
non-vegan candy we got trick or
treating, we could trade it in for
vegan candy donated by Edward
& Sons. They had vegan lollipops, vegan gummy bears, vegan
gummy worms, and way more!
Edward & Sons won an award,
for LA’s Best Vegan Treats.
Earth Café won for LA’s Best
Vegan Desserts. Rasheed won for
LA’s Best Vegan Raw Food. Second place overall for LA’s Best
Vegan Food went to Veggie
Panda Wok. There was a tie for
the overall LA’s Best Vegan
Food. The people voted the BEST
VEGAN FOOD IN LOS ANGELES to be Garden Wok and Playfood. Garden Wok is a Buddhist
vegan Chinese restaurant in Reseda. Playfood is a fun new vegan
restaurant that will be opening
later this year in Studio City.
Aumiitang Gonzalez reports on:
World Vegan Day
in Los Angeles
even pizza, vegan “chicken”,
vegan grilled
“cheese”, vegan
kabobs,
and
way more!
While people
ate and enjoyed
the food, there
was one musical act after another onstage.
The event began with Dov
playing classical violin. It ended with raw-food
Above left: Andy Mars presents
LA’s Best Vegan Food Award to
chef Rasheed performing soul
Playfood owners Terran & Heidi. music with his band Ascension.
Right: Four-year-old Heather eats In between, uplifting singer songwriter Denise Vasquez sang, Pe
Playfood’s vegan “ice cream”.
Leon recited his inspirational poSixty years ago a gentleman etry, and there was way more!
named Donald Watson coined the The vegan rock band Orris
word vegan for the founding of rocked the house.
Between musical acts the
the first vegan society, in England. In the first week of Novem- event’s coordinator, Andy Mars,
ber 2004, there were World Ve- called up different kids to help
gan festivities in cities and coun- draw tickets for people to win
prizes. There were American Vetries around the world.
Los Angeles had its first gan magazines, vegan cookWorld Vegan Day celebration at books, other vegan books, vegan
St. Herman’s Hall in Tarzana on videos, boxes of Boulder Bars®,
November 1. It was run by Kids vegan facials, chiropractic apMakeADifference.org, a Los An- pointments, vegan camp coupons,
and tutoring sessions. There were
geles area youth group.
The evening was filled with many prizes to be won.
There were brief speeches by
vegan food and music of all
kinds. Half the stands had cooked Bob Linden, of Go Vegan Radio,
vegan food and half raw vegan famous actor and environmentalfood. There was even vegan cot- ist Ed Begley Jr., and others.
ton candy and ice cream. There And, of course, Andy Mars, who
were raw vegan pies and cakes, made everything happen, spoke.
15-year-old vegan Aumiitang
Gonzalez lives in Los Angeles.
The models wearing and showing
the clothes were
real
professional
Prahshanti Gonzalez, age 13
models
and
walked up and
down the real proOn October 10 2004, there fessional runway with their
was an event at the Palla- special model walks, just like
dium in Hollywood called you might see on TV, but
Spotlight
Humane. My everything was totally vegan.
good friend Andy Mars had
Since people were there
invited me to attend and all day, they needed food.
help out. The purpose of the So, they had all kinds of
event was to show people great vegan food: vegan fast
that animals don’t need to be food, vegan raw food, vegan
used for various things like Chinese food, vegan Japaclothing, shoes, food, etc. nese food, and more. There
For this
event about not was so much great food, and
harming animals, there was it was even greater that it
a fashion show, vegan food, was all vegan. My favorite
and accessories, showing ve- food was from Playfood,
gan consistency in daily life.
which is a new vegan restauIn the Fashion Show rant, opening in Studio City
clothes of the type that peo- California later this year.
ple wear everyday were toThey also had booths
tally vegan versions. They where you could buy clothshowed some nice Pleather™ ing, shoes, purses, wallets,
jackets and fake-fur coats. It watch
bands,
vitamins,
is very sad when people snacks, and other totally vewear leather and furs that gan items. There was both a
come from animals. They silent auction and a live auccould stop harming beautiful tion. My friend Andy won a
creatures, and wear clothing cool vegan-skin drum dothat looks the same, feels nated by the drum company
the same, but is cruelty-free. Remo®.
Hollywood, California
SPOTLIGHT HUMANE
All the money made by
the auctions, and by people
paying to come to the event,
went to the Humane Society
of the United States which
organized the event. It is a
great cause and it was a
great event. There were a lot
of free things given away
too. I have been sitting here
writing this article with a pen
that I received.
I had a great time being at
Spotlight Humane. I spent
a lot of the day helping out
at one of the booths upstairs
on the balcony. It was a
booth for KidsNPets.org,
which is a nonprofit organization that Andy‘s nonprofit
organization KidsMakeADifference.org was helping. At
the booth, I helped take care
of the therapy animals that
were there to help people.
These animals were all rescued animals that are now
given love, and in turn give
love to others. The animals
were also there to let people
know about this organization
that uses therapy animals to
teach positive life skills to
kids. It was a fun and meaningful day, and I can’t wait to
go again next year.
Hollywood California. October 10 2004
At Spotlight Humane the Compassion in Fashion trophy was presented to Gaelyn
and Cianfariani of New York. The purpose of the award is to encourage designers to find
and use alternatives to fur, leather, and other animal-derived materials.
Genevieve Gaelyn and Atom Cianfarani are known for their signature silky latex fabric
that is produced from recycled bicycle tire inner tubes. This fabric is often mistaken for
leather. Other designer fashions on the runway were from Miss Sixty, Energie, Ashley
Paige, Naqada, ABS, Allen B., Rosasen, and Shoes With Souls.
Gretchen Wyler (Broadway and TV star of the 60s and 70s), who is now vice president
of The Humane Society of the United States—Hollywood office, arranged the show. She
explained: "Making a difference and promoting cruelty-free alternatives in the mainstream marketplace is what it is all about." She honored those dedicated to the principle
of using animal- and eco-friendly materials, and declared that compassion for animals
should be a way of life.
FlorianÓpolis
FIRST TIME IN BRAZIL
BRAZIL
VEG FASHION
MODA SEM CRUELDADE
November 11 &12 2004
FASHION WITH COMPASSION
at
Fashion show photos by John Davis, webmaster
International Vegetarian Union. More at www.ivu.org
International vegetarian congress
A thousand people were in the
audience to see the fashion shows
presented at the World Vegetarian
Congress on successive evenings.
The first show was given by students of the Fashion School of
Santa Catarina State University,
the second show by professional
designers. Daniele Ferraz, who is
behind the current campaign to
reform the runways, organized
both productions.
The shows were beautifully
choreographed. As performances
they achieved startling effect, and
excellent press. Clothes, shoes,
belts and bags illustrated new
styles and fabrics with flare. Not
an animal was skinned, shorn, or
plucked. Let’s dress with care!
The students efforts were
graded for their final exam, and
they were justly proud of their
accomplishments.
Amongst the professionals
were designers from Treetap®, a
company that makes a synthetic
leather from vegetable material.
Treetap® fabric is rubberized
with natural latex, vulcanized by
an exclusive process, and developed for the wild seringals (rubber
plant forests) of Amazonia to be
economically sustainable. FD
“Marcia
Pearson’s
Fashion with
Compassion
shows in the
U.S. were
the inspiration for arranging this
event.”
MARCIA PEARSON
—Marly
Photo in 1999 by
Tahira McCormack
Winckler
BACK from BRAZIL
The International Vegetarian
Union (IVU) went to Latin America for the first time, for its 36th
World Vegetarian Congress
(November 8 to 14 2004). The
event was hosted by the Brazilian
Vegetarian Society and coordinated by its president Marly
Winckler. Since Marly also
serves as the IVU regional director for Latin America, she had
planned for a ripple effect from
the Congress in Brazil to the
other South American countries.
Over 600 people from more
than 35 nations and six continents
gathered at Costão do Santinho, a
lovely island beachside resort in
Florianópolis (Santa Catarina)
South Brazil.
The congress challenge was
enormous. Marly reported:
“Brazil’s figures are saddening; it
is now the main producer of bovine, swine, and broiler chicken,
as well as of soy (to feed the animals). Our rich Amazon Forest is
being destroyed to meet the increasing demand for meat and
soy. The world as a whole wants
to preserve the forest. The time is
pressing for our message to be
spread all over the world, showing the inescapable connection
between a meat-centered diet and
the destruction and contamination
of forests and natural resources.
“Hunger continues to rage
throughout the world and vegetarianism has a strong message to
put an end to this calamity. The
health of people, animals, and the
planet is being threatened by an
inadequate diet. Humanity clamors for peace, but peace is not
possible as long as it is daily as-
sociated with bloody and cruel
acts indissolubly linked to the
rearing and slaughtering of thousands of helpless sentient creatures.”
Perplexed vegetarian speakers
had questions. David Pye from
the U.K. asked, Why are environmentalists not vegetarian? His
talk and video illustrated in
graphic and humorous fashion the
issues of fecal pollution from animal agriculture. Brazil’s Paula
Brügger wondered Why animal
protectors eat animals? and
Sheila Valigora was puzzled that
more veterinarians are not vegetarian. (Fortunately, in the U.S.
anyway, a trend has started towards vegetarianism, even veganism, among those concerned
about animal welfare and threatened species.) Gabriel Buist, England, answered his query, Was
Jesus a Vegetarian? with insights
from the vegetarian Order of the
Cross. Saurabh Dalal, U.S.A., did
a comedic turn in his piece, Who
wants to buy dairy-air?
Advice on how to be well was
forthcoming. Stephen Walsh
(U.K., Vegan Society Council,
author Plant-Based Nutrition and
Health) made recommendations
for health improvement, and he
was called upon throughout the
congress to answer nutritional
questions that arose. From the
U.S. Gerry Coffey spoke on diet
as a cause and cure of disease, a
topic also addressed by Sally Errey (Canada), and Eric Slywitch
(Brazil). Guillermo Tapia of Bolivia spoke on the Nutritional
Contribution of AndeanAmazonic Foods.
Brazilian welcome. George
Guimarães, Sao Paulo greets
Freya Dinshah, the American
Vegan Society delegate, at 36th
World Vegetarian Congress,
Photo by AVS November 2004
George Guimarães—dietitian,
who has a clinic and restaurant in
Sao Paulo Brazil—proclaimed
the adequacy of a total vegetarian
diet. George, vegetarian for 26
years, has been vegan for 10
years. By arrangement with the
University of Sao Paulo, he initiated a nutritional evaluation of all
classes of vegetarians. Blood
samples were drawn from participating congress delegates, who
each also answered an extensive
questionnaire. More about
George’s endeavors at
www. nutriveg.com.br.
Congress stalwarts Alex Hershaft (U.S.), Francisco Martin
(Spain), and Alex Bourke (U.K.)
spoke strongly on behalf of farm
animals, for the vegan way of
life, for animal rights, and powerful activism.
Caryn Hartglass (U.S.) used
every means she could to win
people over. She sang, gave food
demos, and spoke on environmental issues.
Nina Rosa produced and
showed the first Brazilian documentary focusing on meat consumption and its consequences in
Brazil. Her organization promotes
humanitarian education
www.insitutoninarosa.org.br.
In some parts of the world a
quarter of the people get insufficient food. Saurabh Dalal explained how a vegan revolution
could provide a solution to world
hunger. Paul Turner, director of
Food For Life Global, informed
delegates of the work being done
to provide vegan meals
(vegetarian in a few areas) to the
needy in India and on six continents. (Contributions for Tsunami
relief can be made to FFL
through the IVU website.)
Publicity methods, vegetarian
organizing and promotion were
discussed. IVU chair (and VSUK
chief executive) Tina Fox’s contributions were particularly valuable.
Several speakers looked for
peace through vegetarianism, others a path to spirituality. Some
looked back at vegetarian history.
Other subjects included children’s diet and health, farming
and gardening. With concurrent
sessions, it is never possible to
listen to all that one might wish!
Aside from lectures and
classes there were two food demonstration sites featuring both
cooked and raw food presentations. We were provided a beautiful and bounteous buffet at mealtimes, with new fruits and vegetables to try. A Cruelty-free Products Fair ran through the week.
Scientific posters (about the environment, and health) were displayed, freshly researched and
produced at various places such
as the University of Sao Paulo.
From morning yoga to evening
dancing the days were packed.
The welcoming voices of the Adventist school children’s choir
had greeted us at the beginning of
the congress. Mid-week sparkled
with Afro-Brazilian dancers. All
too soon it was the last day.
Brazilians Christian Coubet
and Silvio Negrao used the last
plenary session to underscore the
Global implication of animal production for meat.
Would the meaning be grasped
by the media and public? Fiftytwo journalists, from the local
and national press, attended the
congress.
But Marly’s work was not yet
over. Latin American vegetarian
societies (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay,
and Peru), met to form a Union
and plan a regional conference
for 2005. Then Marly and George
took the message of the Congress
on to the Fifth World Social Forum, held in Brazil in late January
2005. It was sorely needed.
Further congress information
will be found at the International
Vegetarian Union’s website
www.i vu. org/congress/2004
where you will find photos, commentary, and texts of some talks.
Look for David Pye’s video, and
presentations by Tina Fox. There
are tips on publicizing issues,
and running vegetarian organizations, from delegates around the
world. Tour photos by Buist, etc.
The next IVU
World Vegetarian
Congresses will be:
2006 INDIA,
Goa, in September
2008 GERMANY,
Dresden, in August
FD
Freya Dinshah’s
Brazilian Journal
Travel lets us meet new
friends and experience other
cultures. It gives a perspective
on our own country as I quickly
found out when questioned
about the presidential election
that had taken place a few days
before my arrival. Brazilians
found the outcome, and Bush
policies, hard to understand.
I arrived in South Brazil three
days in advance of the Congress. It was a nine-hour flight
from New York to São Paulo,
and then a flight to Florianópolis.
To my delight, I shared a ride
from the airport with Stephen
Walsh and Vanessa Clarke, just
arrived from England. Vanessa
loves World Vegetarian Congresses because they’re the
best way to connect with vegetarian leaders. We chatted about
vegan news and history, filling
gaps for each other.
I explored the area around
Santinho Beach on foot. Feeling
a little guilty that I had not
taken time to learn any Portuguese, I smiled, spoke in English, gestured, and hoped to be
understood. Shopping for anything packaged or when ordering a meal, I relied on a page in
Portuguese from the pocketsized Vegan Passport. That
worked well. It was fascinating
to watch faces as they read:
(Puzzled) …Vegans do not eat
anything of animal origin…,
(Shaking head) …So we do not
eat…, (Cautious nodding) …But
we do eat…, (Smiling) …Please
provide a meal which meets our
requirements.
I bought fruit cheaply. A
health food store sold excellent
vegan bread and fruitcake. I
chose coconut milk to put on
cornflakes. The evening buffet
at the resort was $17 (salad
bar, chick peas, pasta, lovely
pureed vegetable soups).
Better bargains were down
the road. At a table by the
beach, lunch was $3. An elegant
restaurant served vegetable
lasagna (pasta, mushrooms,
eggplant, onion, spinach and
sultanas in tomato sauce), with
side dishes, for $10. Doggy
bags from the lunches were
enough for dinners as well!
Later I discovered a vegetarian
place off the main road.
I had a two-hour block on
the Congress program. My talk
was translated by a charming
young Flavio, and by Mirian
(Marly’s marvelous assistant).
The cooking demo was a challenge as ingredients (and results) were not quite the same
as in the U.S! I had planned to
make something with raw cashews —we get them from Brazil,
but found only roasted nuts at
hand. Sweet corn is unfamiliar;
theirs is field corn more suited
for cornmeal. I kept the demo
short, showed Vegan Kitchen
slides, and spoke about Feeding
Friends and Influencing People.
VUNA
www.ivu.org/vuna/
The Vegetarian Union of North
America (VUNA) is a network of
vegetarian groups throughout the
U. S. and Canada. Membership is
open to groups and individuals.
As a regional council of the
International Vegetarian Union
(IVU), VUNA serves as a liaison
with the worldwide vegetarian
movement. VUNA members are
also considered members of the
International Vegetarian Union.
Promoting a strong, effective, cooperative vegetarian movement
throughout North America
Vegetarian Union of
North America
P.O. Box 9710
Washington, DC 20016 USA
e-mail: vuna@ivu.org
Hiking in the Atlantic Forest
After the Congress I went
hiking in the Atlantic Forest
mountain region of Serra Geral
(between 400 and 1600 meters
above sea level), home of majestic Araucaria pines. The tour
leader, Jean Claude Barasz,
speaks several languages, and
has lived in Brazil since the mid
80s. He is reacquainting people
with their walking heritage.
We did some 16 kilometers
(10 miles) a day, and learned to
keep a steady pace, taking
small steps uphill. It was
strenuous at times, pushing my
limits. The places we swam
were idyllic. Companions were
Marlene and Rita from Brazil,
and Konrad from Germany.
Jean Claude is bringing ecotourism to the region as a restorative educational project,
and to provide some income to
the people there.
Leaving Florianópolis, we
traveled south, west, and northwards to the little town of Anitapolis, a center for herbal remedies, and where avocados were
free for the picking. From there
we explored two valleys staying
at four Farmers’ Welcome
homes. We were well cared for.
Vegan meals had been ordered and were prepared with
organic produce from the fields
and kitchen gardens. In an area
of abundant lemon trees, fresh
lemonade was always at hand.
Generally sugar was offered to
sweeten it. Eva’s lemonade
came three ways, combined
with carrot, or beet, or a green
juice. Lemongrass or mint teas
were the usual hot drinks.
Salads of lettuce, tomato,
cucumber, pepper, grated beet,
carrot, and shredded cabbage
were garnished with nasturtium
flowers. Beans and rice were
served. Parsley potatoes were
popular. Stews contained root
vegetables, cabbage and onion.
There were three kinds of
whole grain bread (wheat, rye,
and corn bread) on which we
would spread tahini-and-miso
spread, or jams made from local
fruit. We were also treated to
manioc bread, which was light
and crunchy and looked like a
loofah sponge. Marilda made us
an orange cake, pleased her
recipe was already vegan.
On the trail we cooked a
black bean stew and thickened
it with manioc flour.
It was Spring. We passed
fields where corn and beans
were intercropped. They also
grow rice and manioc. The area
has little frost and no snow, except occasionally in the high
mountains. Bananas grow but
generally do not ripen. Native to
South Brazil is the strange Myrciana Cauliflora tree. Its grapelike fruits grow directly on the
trunk and branches. It was the
year the bamboo flowered. The
climate and much of the flora,
including bromeliads, were
similar to Georgia or Florida.
The experience was like stepping back fifty, even a hundred,
years in time, but things are
changing now. Telephones
(cellular) are just arriving, as
are TVs with satellite dishes. A
few months ago messages had
to be sent on the school bus up
the valley and back to town.
Sebastian runs a waterpowered sawmill, gristmill, and
electric generator for lights.
When logs are brought in, he
keeps one of three planks sawn
as payment. I stayed in a room
with no glass window, just a
wooden shutter. When I opened
it in the morning a bird landed
on the sill and sang.
A home’s center is its woodburning stove with oven, encased in special brick and usually covered with ceramic tile.
Long ago the native Indians
were eradicated from the region. More than a hundred
years ago German immigrants
began to settle the area.
Family farms have a few
cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens
in addition to the crops grown;
and produce 80% or more of
their food in a mixed organic
system. Even this small-scale
raising of farm animals cuts into
the native forest and impacts
wildlife. The pasture area is far
greater than cultivated land, out
of proportion to their diet. Cow
manure (and its smell) is everywhere the cows wander, and
water gets polluted. Farmers
are finding that trees are more
profitable than cows, so a few
pastures have been planted
with Elliot pine—an improvement in land use, but these
pines do not support local fauna.
Rotary tillers are replacing
horses in the small fields. As
young people grow up most
must go to the city to work.
There are mines in the area;
dirt roads are well maintained
for the trucks that come and go.
Walkers will find pipes with
spring water to drink at intervals along their way. Flowers
decorate embankments, and
border the gardens.
This beautiful place is threatened. We saw hillsides stripped
of trees to make charcoal in the
brick kilns seen roadside.
Young hunters were hired as
our guides on off-road treks.
Will they learn to appreciate
what might be preserved? The
land is beautiful with trees, waterfalls, streams, and rivers.
The water from springs at Santo
Amaro da Imperatrix is considered second best in the world.
There is the opportunity to
move (as it were) from the 19th
century to the 21st century, and
avoid so much of the environmental problems of the 20th
century. Our visit introduced
the vegan thought. What does
the future hold?
FD
SOUTH BRAZIL
L to R from top:
Bridge
Farmers welcome us
Sawmill
Pounding rice
for winnowing
Swimming
Wood stove
Hiking
Photos: 1 & 7
by Jean Claude;
rest by Freya
Fifth World Social Forum
– A Better World Is Not Possible
What new world will be possible if those who proclaim its
necessity replicate the very problems they should fight?
Pasture and native forest contrast
in the Atlantic Forest Mountain region of Serra Geral, South Brazil.
Photo by Jean Claude Barasz
Guided hiking around Florianópolis
Small groups tours tailored to suit.
E-mail: jeanclaude.bara@gmail.com
Write: Jean Claude Barasz,
Des. Ferreira Bastos 268/22
88080-230 Coqueiros
Florianópolis, SC, BRAZIL
Phone 55-48-3025-6903
55-48-248-4369 (Answer machine)
55-48-9965-5998 (Cell)
Website in preparation:
www.andarim.com.br
Below: Brick hut by roadside used
to burn wood to make charcoal. The
wall slits will be filled with mud, and
doorway blocked, to dampen fire.
Illustration by Gloria
Yes, sorry to say, but the old
practices reproduced all around
(with rare exceptions) at the Fifth
World Social Forum won't take
us to a better world. This is what I
told some 200 people who attended the talk promoted by the
Brazilian Vegetarian Society at
the Fifth WSF in Porto Alegré
Brazil, 26-31 January 2005.
All around us were barbecues
creating halls full of smoke with
an unbearably bad smell —almost
to the point of preventing one's
breathing. Also, with a few commendable exceptions, eating
places under tents served food that
for the most part was meat-based,
and rather depleted of nutrients.
The meat industry is one of
the main factors responsible for
the consumption and contamination of water, and destruction of
forests. It was, and still is, the
most responsible for the destruction of the Atlantic Forest and
Cerrado, and now the Amazon
Forest. The (chemical) promotion
of soy cultivation also contributes
to the destruction of springs and
aquifers, as well as fertile land.
With it goes flora and fauna diversity, generating many of the problems discussed at the WSF.
Who consumes soy in Brazil?
Apart from some substantial portion used to make oil, the Brazilian population is not used to eating soy. It is used to feed animals,
which will be turned into beef and
barbecue, creating a vicious cycle,
responsible for enormous waste.
One kilogram of meat generated
from grain uses 7 kilograms of
these same grains, which could be
directly used to feed the hungry.
The grain used to feed animals
could feed up to 10 times as many
humans if it were used for human
consumption. How then, can we
talk seriously about Zero Hunger
without addressing this issue?
People's health is undermined.
The Health System is bankrupted.
The main diseases from which our
population suffers are directly
connected with a meat-centered
diet – heart diseases, high blood
pressure, various types of cancer,
kidney diseases, diabetes and
staggering rates of obesity. Food
quality is poor. Terrible also is the
way thousands and thousands of
defenseless animals are reared in
appalling confined conditions,
soon to be slaughtered under even
more appalling conditions.
It is useless to continue to hide
the facts. What we sow is what we
reap, says the old maxim. If our
societies treat sensible animals in
such uncivilized ways we won't
have a better world, nor can the
world continue. I'm totally convinced of this. People must realize
that a simple act they repeat three
or more times a day, eating, is
umbilically connected to the new
world they legitimately search for
and that, yes, is possible. But for
that, they must create the new
world every day, in the dish of
food just in front of them.
Marly Winckler, President
Brazilian Vegetarian Society
www.svb.org.br
The Farm is in Tennessee
near a little town called Summertown. It is what some people
call an intentional community,
meaning that it was built for a
specific group of people, for a
particular purpose—to create a
place of peace and freedom.
Back in 1970 a group of
around 300 people left San Francisco on a journey called The
Caravan. Sixty school busloads
of hippies set out to spread their
message of nonviolence (and the
vegan practice), and to look for a
place to call home. In 1971 they
purchased a 1700 acre piece of
land that became known as The
Farm. According to their spiritual
mentor Stephen Gaskin, it was
going to be a demonstration project for a sustainable future—a
nonviolent eco-friendly community of pioneers; and that is just
what it became.
One of their keys to sustainable living was a vegetarian diet
based on soybeans and homegrown vegetables. Almost everything was made from scratch. The
soybeans were made into tofu,
soymilk, tempeh, and even “ice
bean”. Many people look to The
Farm community as pioneers for
soy foods in North America.
By the early 1980s, The
Farm’s population rose to almost
1,500 people. They even sprouted
little satellite communities and
farms in Florida, Missouri, Wisconsin, California, New York,
Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan,
Virginia, Canada, and Ireland.
They were also running relief operations in Central America, the
Caribbean, Africa, Bangladesh,
and the South Bronx—a worldwide operation in constant communication with Tennessee via
ham radio and television.
Come to
THE FARM
says Cory Davis
Solar School at The Farm Photo AVS
The Farm has its own school,
its own soy foods plant and a
tempeh lab. Book Publishing Co.
is there, an electronics firm, gourmet mushroom spawn production,
construction businesses, and a
media center. They also have an
amazing group of midwives who,
through their record of successful
births, gained much ground for
the entire midwifery movement.
Although many people have
left or moved on, The Farm still
leads and pioneers models of sustainable living. It has undergone
restructuring and the population
is now about 200 people. Residents live in family homes instead of communal buildings,
people have their own bank accounts rather than a communal
pot, and the school charges tuition, so some families opt to send
their children to public schools.
I went to The Farm for the first
time in January of 2004. I was on
the CARE (Compassion for Animals Road Expedition) tour at the
time. Of all the places I would be
going on this 41-state tour, it was
the place I looked forward to seeing most of all. From the first
time I learned about its existence,
I was impressed. It seemed like
the kind of place I would want to
live. I was not disappointed. The
people were interesting—and
open-minded. They work hard,
yet they also know how to have
fun. The whole place is peaceful
and welcoming, surrounded by
wilderness, with beautiful trails,
and a stream flowing through.
I was really impressed with the
school, which is unique compared
to the schools I’ve been to. This
school is one of the biggest solarpowered buildings in Tennessee.
The Eco-Village Training Center
is also amazing. It is a place
where people can come and learn
about sustainable living, including organic farming, permaculture, and natural building. To
learn more about these programs,
check out their website at
www.thefarm.org/etc/courses.
The Farm has the some of the
best soy ice cream I’ve had!
I returned for the Unity Festival in April 2004, and am greatly
looking forward to going back in
August 2005 for the American
Vegan Society Summer Conference. I encourage everyone who
has the opportunity to come to
make it a priority. It will not only
be a wonderful learning experience, but lots of fun!
See www.thefarm.org,
www.thefarmcommunity.com.
Cory Davis is a 17-year-old animal
rights activist currently campaigning
for humane alternatives to dissection
in school, and against the Canadian
Seal Hunt. He directs youth programs
for The Responsible Animal Care
Society in Kelowna British Columbia.
American Vegan Society Summer Conference
Wednesday August 10 to Sunday August 14 2005
at The Farm in Summertown Tennessee
Where
Summertown Tennessee is
near the population center of the
United States and lies about 75
miles south of Nashville on TN20
between US43 to the east and the
Natchez Trail Parkway to the
west. To reach The Farm from
the north, drive through Summertown to the Lewis County border,
turn right onto Drakes Lane and
then right onto Walker Road
which will bring you to The Farm
Gate and The Welcome Center.
Summertown’s elevation favors
summer breezes, hence its name.
Sightseeing
Before or after your stay you
may want to visit places of interest in the area: Meriwether Lewis
State Park, an Amish Community, Blackburn Farmstead and
Pioneer Museum, and the Saturn
Plant in Spring Hill.
Traveling from the east spend
some time on the Blue Ridge
Parkway (Virginia and North
Carolina), or in Kentucky’s
Mammoth Caves.
Vickie Montagne stands outside The Welcome Center at The
Farm Gate. The Tempeh Lab is
on one side of the building.
AVS Photo, December 2003
Travel:
If coming by air, fly to Nashville.
The Greyhound Bus stops at
Etheridge (8 miles from The Farm).
Airport pickups will be mid-morning
and mid-afternoon. Cost is about $25
each way (depending on how many
riders). Reserve pickup service in
advance through Vickie Montagne at
The Farm (see below).
Conference duration
Check-in is from 10 am to 6 pm on
Wednesday 8/10, or by arrangement.
The first meal served is Wednesday
lunch. The last meal served is
Brunch on Sunday 8/14.
Registration, camping, and
dorm fees should be mailed
or faxed to AVS.
American Vegan Society
PO Box 369
Malaga NJ 08328
(856) 694-2887 –Phone
(856) 694-2288 –Fax
Check or credit card accepted.
————————————————————————
Farm Housing, and airport
pick-up reservations should
be made with:
Vickie Montagne
34 The Farm, Walker Road
Summertown TN 38483
(931) 964-3574
Vickie@thefarmcommunity.com
Payments by check, made out to
[[[[[[[[[
The Farm Education Conference
Center (FECC).
Registration Fees cover meals,
program attendance, and use of designated facilities.
Adult: $325
Under 18/Full-time Student: $275
Child (under 12, w. child care): $250
Register early to avoid disappointment as numbers are limited.
These prices apply until May 31.
Thereafter add $50. After July 5
phone AVS for space availability.
Accommodation Options:
Camping is beside the road leading to the Community Center on
well-drained ridges. Bring your own
tent, camper or vehicle; + all equipment: bedding, towels, etc., for your
needs. Faucets are along the back of
the field. Toilets, outhouses, or PortO-Johns® nearby. (If you are not experienced campers, practice in advance.)
Adults + 12 & up $30 for 4 nights,
Child (under 12) $20 for 4 nights
Inquire about RV space @ $15, or
$20 (with a/c), per night.
Men’s / Women’s Dormitory, next
to Community Center
(Limited number of beds. Phone
AVS before remitting fee.)
Air-conditioned. Linen package consists of sheets, pillow and blanket.
Bring towels.
Adults $75 for 4 nights.
Farm Housing, at varying distances from Community Center:
Generally $20/person/room night.
Second person in room is $10 extra.
A child is $7 extra. Bathrooms are
shared. Some rooms may offer airconditioning at extra cost.
Early reservations advised.
Phone first for availability and to
indicate your need: (931) 964-3574.
Cancellation Refund given on
request on or before July 18 of 90%
of all fees paid.
Motels are in Mt Pleasant (10
miles), Lawrenceburg (15 miles),
Columbia (30 miles). List available.
Please do not bring: animals,
alcohol, drugs, guns, other weapons.
No smoking, please.
Insects Stay on paths and mown
areas to avoid chiggers. Dress appropriately. Bring repellant and first aid.
Bring flashlight, swimsuit, towels,
and sunscreen. Wear a money belt as
there are no keys to lock doors.
Bicycles are very useful for getting
around. (Note: meals, lectures, camping, dorm & Ecovillage are closely situated. Farm Store, swimming, cooking
classes, houses are 1 to 2 miles away.)
Meals will be prepared under the
direction of Roberta Kachinsky and
Ramona Christopherson, longtime
members of The Farm community,
who have been doing quantity vegan
cooking for small and large groups
(up to 1,000 people) for 33 years.
When not catering conferences or
Kids to the Country programs, they
operate Bert & Ray’s Deli, which
sells takeout dinners, soysage, tofu
salads, tofu cheezkakes, and other
comestibles eagerly picked up by
people on their way home from work.
The meals we have eaten at The
Farm have been superb, the result of
years of experience in vegan hospitality. Here, many cooks work in
harmony. The quality of soy products is tops due to FarmSoy’s own
plant which produces tofu, soymilk,
soy yogurt, and tempeh with the
natural spring water on site.
AVS is confident that those who
attend the conference will find the
food alone is worth the trip!
Meals will be served in the Community Center; Lectures there
and in the School across the road.
Both are air-conditioned. The school
building will house the AVS Conference office and our book room, also
Child Care (2 to 6 years morning
and early evening), and Exhibits.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE will
Speakers
Program, subject to change, will
feature these authors, who have titles
with Book Publishing Co:
Jo Stepaniak, MSEd
(The Ultimate UnCheese Cookbook,
Being Vegan, Vegan Sourcebook,
and others).
Brenda Davis, RD
(Defeating Diabetes, Dairy-free &
Delicious; Becoming Vegan, The
New Becoming Vegetarian –with
Melina).
Vesanto Melina, MS, RD (Healthy
Eating for Life to Prevent & Treat
Cancer, Food Allergy Survival
Guide, Raising Vegetarian Families with Stepaniak, and more.)
Karen Davis, UNITED POULTRY
CONCERNS, (More Than a Meal,
the Turkey in History, Myth, and Reality; Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned
Eggs; Instead of Chicken/Turkey)
Cherie Soria, RAW FOOD CHEF,
CULINARY ARTS, (Angel Foods)
Alan Goldhamer, DC, TRUE
NORTH HEALTH CENTER, Eating
and Fasting expert (Pleasure Trap,
Health Promoting Cookbook).
Speakers from The Farm will
talk about the beliefs and philosophy
of the community, and the businesses there which fulfill needs for
right livelihood. They include:
Louise Hagler, editor and author
of cookbooks (The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook, Tofu Cookery, Lighten
Up, Meatless Burgers, and more).
Louise also works with Plenty to
improve nutrition in poor regions of
Mexico. Cynthia & Bob Holzapfel,
editor, production and sales Book
Publishing Co; titles on cooking,
health, and sustainable living. Barb
Bloomfield, cookbook author (Flax
the Super Food, Soup’s On, Fabulous
Beans), Frank Michaels, Mushroom
People, Shiitake growing workshop.
Doug Stephenson, Village Media,
guided hikes, History of The Farm,
Albert Bates, Ecovillage projects.
The Farm Youth Band
Others to be announced, including speakers on Soy Foods, and
Midwifery.
KIDS’ VEGAN
SUMMER PROGRAM
For ages 7 to 14
August 7 to 14 2005
Ecovillage, The Farm, TN
Andy Mars, PhD, will direct a
program for boys and girls aged 7
to 14, who may attend with or
without their parents.
Andy, who has a PhD in Education, runs Camp Exploration and
the Students Taking Action &
Responsibility Today programs.
( See American Vegan 4-2 , and
www.KidsMakeADifference.org.)
This full week experience will
dovetail with the American Vegan
Society Conference. The kids will
explore, and learn in an active
hands-on style. They will prepare
some of their meals.
Ecovillage is a living classroom. Conference speakers will
present lessons uniquely designed
for young folk. We will get out and
about, and have fun, with a caring
attitude to life.
Accommodation will be in dormitories. Families may camp bringing their own equipment. Plan to
arrive Sunday afternoon August 7
before 4pm.
Please register by May 31.
After then, phone for availability.
Fees for 7 days & nights:
Program and meals:
$475 (ages 12-14), $425 (under 12)
Dormitory (Boys or Girls room) w.
linen package: $110 (Bring towels)
Camping: $60, $25 (under 12 yrs.)
Four-day program available
August 10 to 14
Program and meals:
$275 (ages 12-14), $250 (under 12)
Dormitory: $65
Camping: $35, $15 (under 12 yrs.)
Remit to:
PO Box 369, Malaga NJ 08328
Ph: (856) 694-2887, Fax: 694-2288
Check or credit card accepted.
allow for social time, and relaxation.
John Howard (1726-1790)
A Kind and Gentle Vegetarian
Dr. Harry Gershenowitz
From about 1500 CE to the
early 1700s, penal servitude was
punishment inflicted on workable
galleys which later became permanent shore stations. Since ancient times those in authority
placed penalties on offenders
without mercy or compassion.
Wrongdoers or sinners who transgressed the existing laws were
branded, mutilated, or sold as
slaves.
Many of the jailed were in the
black holes waiting to be scaffolded or to be staked. Although
delayed trials may have ended in
an exculpation of the charges,
release of the jailed did not always happen. Those unguilty
people who did not pay jail fees
were dumped back into prison.
Under such conditions life in
English prisons was terrible. In
London debtors’ prisons, the
keepers’ actions were atrocious
and caused a breakdown of the
humanness of individuals.
History is the story of great
worldlings. During the l770s John
Howard (l726-1790) rose to protest, and then offered solutions to
stop the abuses of the English
public. Who was John Howard
and what was his life story?
In his early years he served as
an apprentice to a London grocer.
He was 25 when his father died,
leaving him a comfortable inheritance. With his monies he built
model cottages for his workmen
and paid tuition for their children
to receive a fundamental education. These kind acts were un-
usual in the early stages of the
rising Industrial Revolution in
England.
At age 32 Howard adopted a
simple vegetarian diet of fruit,
vegetables, bread, and milk or tea
which improved his health which
was weak due to his infections.
On his way to giving aid to the
victims of the Lisbon earthquake
during the Seven Years’ War
(1756-1763), traveling on a British ship, he was captured by the
French. He suffered the humiliation of being debased, and a painful loss to his dignity. After a few
months an exchange of prisoners
occurred and Howard returned to
England.
Now he knew his future life
work was to better the lot of mankind. How did the events happen?
In 1773 he became the high
sheriff of Bedfordshire Borough
and soon became aware of the
miserable conditions of the gaols
(jails) throughout the country.
Howard, using his own funds,
traveled to see the prisons in both
Great Britain and parts of Europe.
He observed that
food was
bought from the non-salaried jailers that was often worm infected.
Obviously, no new clothes were
given to the prisoners and the old
garments degenerated into rags.
Also the bedding was malodorous
straw reeking with foul odors.
Both the guilty and non-guilty
prisoners had to wear 1eg-irons
which prevented sleep at night.
The marks of these irons became
the sites for festering infections.
Women prisoners did not receive
any special consideration.
With the discovery of the New
World and need of manual labor,
felons were shipped to the colonies.
Howard visited all the jails in
England and Wales and called for
healthful environments. Prisoners
needed to be supplied with palatable drinking water. Their bodies
needed to be disinfected from
lice. The jails’ overseers resented
Howard’s suggestions, and the
end to bribery.
In 1777 Howard published his
critical and impressive book The
State of the Prisons in England
and Wales. Further, the intensity
of his studies led him to visit and
investigate the conditions aboard
lazaretto-hospital ships for those
affected with contagious or loath-
John Howard statue in
St. Paul’s Square,
Bedford, England
Postcard photo,
Gordon Flanagan
some diseases. His study led to
the publication of his exhaustive
inspection report Account of the
Principal Lazarettos in Europe
(1789).
In 1789 he completed his
fourth tour of western jails when
he visited a Russian military hospital and contracted camp disease
(typhus), which was fatal. He was
buried in Russia and the inscription on his tomb stated
Whosoever thou art, thou standest at the grave of thy friend.
A statue in his honor was
erected in St Paul’s Cathedral in
London. Today, there are 53 John
Howard Society branches
throughout Canada. In 1866 the
Howard Association was formed
in England to honor and continue
Howard’s work.
Interestingly, this universal
man was elected to become a Fellow of the Royal Society. One of
his many scientific experiments
dealt with the meteorological effects of temperature on every part
of his estate.
In conclusion, John Howard
was a quiet, kind, modest man
who saw life through the eyes of
the defeated. Howard was held in
high esteem by authorities, who
respected his work and points of
view. He was a strong advocate
of the work ethic for all prisoners.
www.plamilfoods.co.uk
As Howard wrote, “When I
am gone, someone else will take
up the matter and see it through.”
True to form the Quaker Elizabeth Gurney Fry (1780-1845) introduced a call for a more humane system of prison guardianship. On the European continent
Italian jurist Cesare Bonesana
Beccaria (1738-1793) published
Treatise on Crimes and Punishment (1764), presenting his arguments against capital punishment
and savage treatment of prisoners.
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean the semi-invalid Dorothea Lynde Dix (l802-l887),
American pioneer in the reform
of prisons, almshouses and insane
asylums, worked for more humane treatment of the inmates. In
recognition of her courageous
work she was appointed superintendent of women war nurses,
and served four years in the Union Army during the Civil War.
The improvement of prison
life was Howard’s lifetime goal
and the good people of England
recorded: From the throne to
the dungeon, his name was
mentioned with respect, gratitude and admiration.
Dr. Harry Gershenowitz is Professor
Emeritus, Department of Biological
Sciences, Rowan University,
Glassboro New Jersey.
Left:
Adrian Ling, managing production at
Plamil Foods Folkestone, Kent,
England, now heads the company.
A trust in
Arthur’s name
will further his
interest in
vegan
nutrition.
Sandra Hood,
BSc, SRD, will
update his
work.
Arthur
Ling
In his
office
at
Plamil
Foods
Photos
by
Freya
Dinshah
1990
Arthur Ling 1919—2005
On January 18 2005 we heard
that Arthur Ling had died that day
in the early hours. We had known
him since 1965 as a director of the
company introducing the first
widely distributed soya milk in
England. Samples were served at
the IVU World Vegetarian Congress in Swanick.
Veganism was Arthur’s vocation. In 1926, as a 7-year-old, he
had rejected meat, fish and eggs.
As a teenager he came to realize
the cruelty in dairying.
Upon leaving school he studied
accounting and picked up the
business skills which he would
use to good effect steering the
course of Plamil Foods, with its
expanding line of vegan products.
He was president of The Vegan
Society (UK) from 1987 to 1991.
He leaves three adult children
whom he had raised as a single
parent. His vegan diet, mental
attitude, exercise and healthful
habits enabled him to accomplish
very much more than most.
True to their frugal natures,
Arthur forwarded his copies of
Ahimsa and American Vegan to
his good friend Donald Watson!
————————
What a brave, innovative and loving man he was. What a masterfully
lived life.
- Michael Klaper, MD
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Commercial products today
are often advertised as
"wholesome", "natural", or
"cruelty-free", with no clear
standard of what is really
meant. Some firms don't see
insects as animal; products using lanolin (wool fat) or fish
parts are sometimes sold as
"non-animal". We are pleased
to list some mail-order catalogs
and websites you’ll find helpful, selling vegan clothing,
shoes, cosmetics, toiletries, etc.
For a list of 200+ ingredients
commonly used in foods, cosmetics, etc., see
VEGANISM: Getting Started
(AVS/Ahimsa publication).
Sources of Non-Animal Items
Amberwood
Route 2 Box 300, Milford Road
Leary GA 31762 (912) 792-6246
Laundry/household cleaning products, toiletries/cosmetics, women's
quality belts/bags/wallets.
Beauty Without Cruelty (USA)
175 West 12th Street
New York NY 10011
Lists items non-animal-tested, and
non-animal products. List, info: $5
Different Daisy Webstore
Christi Wymer
10766 State Route 139
Minford OH 45653
www.DifferentDaisy.com
Supplements, apparel, cosmetics,
body care, household cleaners, first
aid, + info, recipes, events, & more.
Working Vegan Network.
Heartland Products Ltd.
Box 218
Dakota City IA 50529
(515) 332-3087, (800)-441-4692
www.trvnet.net/~hrtlndp
Men’s/women’s footwear:
safety, athletic, hiking, dress; also,
luggage, belts, baseball gloves.
moo shoes: alternatives to leather
207 East 26th Street
New York NY 10010
(212) 481-5792
www.mooshoes.com
Non-leather shoes and accessories.
Veg Essentials
7722 W. Menomonee River Pkwy.
Wauwatosa WI 53213
Ph/Fax: (414) 607-1953
(866) 88VEGAN (888-3426)
www.veganessentials.com
Soap; bath, body, dental-care items;
cosmetics; flavorings, and sweets.
The Vegetarian Site
David Sudarsky
PO Box 64956
Tucson AZ 85728
www.thevegetariansite.com
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
►Vegans generally obtain vitamins
and minerals in natural foods rather
than extracts or supplements.
(See Do You Need Vitamin Supplements? article by Dr. Agatha Thrash,
from AVS.)
Freeda Vitamins, Inc.
36 East 41st Street
New York NY 10017
(800) 777-3737
www.freedavitamins.com
Non-animal supplements.
Pioneer Nutritional
Formulas, Inc.
304 Shelburne Center Road
Shelburne Falls MA 01370
(800) 458-8483 orders
(413) 625-8212
www.pioneernutritional.com
Some Pioneer Formulas have Vegan
Action’s seal of approval.
Pangea
2381 Lewis Avenue
Rockville MD 20851
(800)-340-1200
www.veganstore.com
Toiletries, shoes, T-shirts, clothing,
bags, food items, dog food, etc.
Prescription 2000:
3301 Arden Way, Suite 2
Sacramento CA 95825
(916) 483-1020
(877) DO-VEGAN (368-3426)
www.prescription2000.com
soles of the earth
Roger Romanelli
2046 West Charleston Sreet.
Chicago IL 60647
(773) 252-SOLE (7653)
soles20@aol.com
Footwear and accessories.
The Ultimate Life
Box 4308
Santa Barbara CA 93140
(800) THE MEAL (843-6325)
www.ultimatelife.com
NOT A SUPPLEMENT BUT A
COMPLETE MEAL
VEGFAM
Feeds the hungry without
exploiting animals
VEGFAM
The Sanctuary, Lydford,
Nr. Okehampton
Devon EX20 4AL, UK
Checks to American Vegan Soc.,
marked for overseas relief will be
forwarded in £s
VEGFAM PROJECTS
Vegfam provides short- and long-term aid to victims
of flood, drought, cyclone, famine, and war, as well as
earthquake. It funds emergency feeding, seeds for
planting, and water supplies. 2004 aid went to Ghana,
Tajikistan, India, Sudan, Mozambique, & Bangladesh.
Tsunami relief was sent immediately to India’s Tamil
Nadu region in the form of food packets of vegetables, pulses and rice. 2005: Usual relief efforts, plus
Vegfam’s Indian Ocean Earthquake Appeal is raising funds for long-term vegetable growing projects.
Compassionate people will end their support of
animal exploitation when they realize the suffering a
non-vegan lifestyle causes.
VEGAN OUTREACH seeks to engage those peo●CONSULTING SERVICE ●DEMO GARDENS
ple through the widespread distribution of its illustrated
●COOKING DEMOS
booklets, Why Vegan? & Vegetarian Living.
INSTITUTE for
PLANT BASED NUTRITION.
JIM & DOROTHY OSWALD, COFOUNDERS
333 Bryn Mawr Ave, Bala Cynwyd PA 19004
Phone: (610) 667-6876, Fax: (610) 667-1501,
web: www.plantbased.org
Dairy Products
are not necessary.
Plant Foods are Healthier
The Vegan Society was formed in England in 1944 by a group of vegetarians
who recognized the ethical compromises
implicit in dairy vegetarianism.
Vegans can help you live a full, healthy
life free from any dependence on the
factory farm, veal calf unit, and slaughterhouse.
For free information, Outside England
please include an International Reply
Coupon (available from your local post
office).
The Vegan Society
Donald Watson House
7 Battle Road
St Leonards-on-Sea
E Sussex TN37 7aa
ENGLAND
www.vegansociety.com
VEGAN OUTREACH
211 Indian Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15238-1222
www.veganoutreach.org
GO VEGAN Radio
with Bob Linden is a one-hour weekly syndicated
radio show heard on Sundays at 1 pm Pacific Time
in Los Angeles on HOT TALK AM–830 KPLS,
and 6 pm in San Francisco on owned and operated
CBS/Infinity’s KYCY – 1550 AM.
BIG NEWS: 9 radio stations “GO VEGAN”…
Along with LA & SF above, now we're on WBPS890 Boston Sunday 7PM-Eastern, WRMN-1410
Chicago Wednesday 3PM-Central, KSHP-1400 Las
Vegas Monday 10PM-Pacific, KLMO-1060 Boulder-Denver Sunday 8PM-Mt, KSKE-610 AspenBreckinridge-Vail Sunday 8PM-Mt, KWYD-1580
Colo Springs Sunday 8PM-Mt, KDMN-1450 Buena
Vista CO Sunday 8PM-Mt Archived for worldwide
replay at www.GoVeganRadio.com.
Go Vegan has been on the air over 3 years now
at a cost of $2000 each week for radio and network
airtime. Donations are being sought by this registered nonprofit to keep the show going. Make
checks payable to Go Vegan/SEE, and mail to
Bob Linden/SEE, PO Box 220025
Newhall CA 91322. Ph: (818) 623-6477
CLASSES, MEETINGS, & CONFERENCES
PENNSYLVANIA
Eating Well is Easy! Vegan Kind Cuisine with KC McQuillan, RN MA, at Kind Café 724 N. 3rd St.,
Philadelphia PA 19123, (215) 922-KIND (5463). See calendar of lectures, food preparation classes, and
healthy living programs at www.KindCafe.com.
CALIFORNIA
Earth Day for the Animals Saturday April 23 2005, 1 pm – midnight, indoors and outdoors at
Kung Food Restaurant, 2949 5th Ave., San Diego. Bob Linden: Going Vegan to Save the Earth.
$20 admission includes reggae music, vegan buffet by chef Cary Brown, video screenings, vegan product
vendors,. Reservations requested, phone: (818) 623-6477 or e-mail Bob@GoVeganRadio.com.
NEW JERSEY
American Vegan Society Annual Meeting Sunday May 29 2005, at American Vegan Society HQ,
72 Dinshah Lane, Malaga New Jersey 08328. Noon PICNIC LUNCH . Speakers start 2 pm.
Caryn Hartglass: How Lifestyles Affect the Environment
Caryn is executive director EARTHSAVE INTERNATIONAL, a singer, and chemical engineer by profession
Membership Meeting to include election of Trustees.
Milton Mills, MD: Human Physiology and Healthful Eating
Dr. Mills specializes in preventive medicine. He coauthored the report Racial & Ethnic Bias in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for PHYSICIANS’ COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE MEDICINE.
Reservations required. Suggested donation $15. Phone: (856) 694-2887, www.americanvegan.org
Monday May 30 2005, 10 am AVS Council of Trustees Meeting (members invited), AVS HQ, Malaga.
PENNSYLVANIA
Vegetarian Summerfest, Wed. June 29 to Sun. July 3 2005 at University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown PA. Presented by North American Vegetarian Society, PO Box 72, Dolgeville NY 13329.
(518) 568-7970, www.navs-online.org.
TENNESSEE
American Vegan Society Summer Conference, Wed August 10 to Sunday August 14 2005,
(Kids’ Vegan Summer Program August 7 to 14) at The Farm, Summertown Tennessee.
The Farm is known for its pioneering soy food production, vegetarian and vegan practice, nonviolent
and socially responsible community, midwifery, and Book Publishing Co., Plenty is their agency for famine
relief and international aid. The Farm has interesting projects such as mushroom growing and the EcoVllage
training center. Speakers will be a unique blend of Farm experts, and authors with Book Publishing Company. The site is restful, peaceful, and of great interest. This conference will offer a unique experience, and
valuable interaction among vegan activists, on and off The Farm. Jo Stepaniak, Vesanto Melina, Brenda
Davis, Dr. Alan Goldhamer, Cherie Soria will all be there. Are you coming too?
Accommodation options will be camping, dormitory, and housing with Farm families, or off site at a
motel. A week-long (8/7 to 8/14) program for 7 to 14 year olds will run in conjunction with the conference,
directed by Andy Mars, PhD Ed.
CALIFORNIA
Animal Rights 2005, July 7 to 11 2005 at the Westin LAX Hotel in Los Angeles. Speakers from
groups representing every faction of AR. www.AR2005.org, (888) FARM-USA (327-6872),
FARM/AR2005, 10101 Ashburton Lane, Bethesda MD 20817
NORTH CAROLINA
THE POWER OF ONE. THE STRENGTH OF MANY. 20th International Compassionate Living Festival in
Raleigh NC, October 7 to 9 2005. Kim Stallwood (Institute for Animals & Society), Tom Regan (Empty
Cages). IAS, 3500 Boston St. #325, Baltimore MD 21224, (410) 675-4566, www.animalsandsociety.org.
Your Address Label
shows above your name the year
at the end of which your membership expires. If you are a Life
member, you will see “Life”. If you
have inquired but not yet joined
“Inq” appears above your name.
DEFINITIONS
VEGAN: Uses no animal-source
food or clothing.
TOTAL VEGETARIAN: Uses
no animal-source food, vegan in diet
only; still using some animal items
such as leather, wool.
VEGETARIAN: Uses no flesh,
fish, fowl (products of slaughter),
still using milk or dairy products.
VEGAN HEALTH STUDY
Vegans, vegetarians, and supporters are asked to participate in nutrition
research investigating the long-term effects of vegan diets. Michael Klaper, MD
is directing the Study which is designed to develop guidelines to help those following vegan and vegetarian diets to do so with optimum benefit to their health.
You can take part in this study in any or all of the following ways:
1. Complete the questionnaire survey and follow-up reports–online or by mail..
2. Provide blood and urine samples for laboratory testing (fee required).
(Includes 1-hour telephone consultation with Dr. Klaper to interpret lab results.).
3. Be a sponsor or benefactor–donate tax-deductible funding for the study.
For further information, and to enroll online, visit:
www.veganhealthstudy.org
To request a printed questionnaire, write:
Vegan Health Study
c/o Institute of Nutrition Education & Research
1601 N Sepulveda Blvd #342
Manhattan Beach CA 90266
AMERICAN VEGAN SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP
BASIC MEMBERSHIP is open to all: vegan, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian.
ADVANCED Membership (voting, office holding) is open to vegans practicing Ahimsa (send for application form).
MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION is $20 per calendar year (or 4 issues). ($10 student/low-income within U.S.A). Join
before midyear, receive back issues from Spring Issue or join later and you’re on to end of next year. Use form below,
copy, or just write information. Pay by check/money order/credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express).
LIFE MEMBERSHIP IS $200; Life Patron $500 or more; Life Benefactor $1000 or more. Each type includes lifetime
(your or AVS, as the case may be) American Vegan subscription. Each type payable at one time or in installments, normally completed within two years.
IRS REGULATIONS permit tax-deductibility for all actual contributions (including Life Membership donation beyond
the first $100—due to the value of the lifetime American Vegan subscription).
FEES paid for annual membership, or books, tapes, conventions, etc. are paid for value received so are not tax-deductible
according to IRS regulations.
CANADA: Please remit in $U.S. only, by International Postal Money Order, or Bank Cashier’s Draft on account in a
U.S.A. bank. Or use credit card. OVERSEAS: $20 sea mail; $25 air mail. As above; or United Kingdom personal check
in ₤ Sterling at current exchange rate.
American Vegan
Together we explore and apply compassionate
living concepts, and reflect on the beauty of life.
We learn
• How to save the animals
• How to revere the Earth
• How to care for ourselves
Ethics●Food●Clothes, & more
People follow a vegan lifestyle for ethical reasons, for
health, for the environment.
A vegan diet is an adventure in taste offering an amazing
variety to please the palate. Vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes are the basics from which delicious meals are made.
Foods from plants best provide for all people in the world.
Vegans exclude flesh, fish, fowl, dairy products, eggs,
honey, animal broths and gelatin, and other items of animal
origin.
Vegans dress with care; fashion with compassion is the
style. We do not use leather, wool, fur, or silk, and choose
animal-free soaps, toiletries, and consumer products.
Learn to live in harmony, creating a better world for all.
Subscribe to American Vegan
A-V 4-4
…..$20 per year
…..$10 Student/Low Income
Check or credit card accepted ….New subs. …Renewal
Send with name and mail address to:
PO Box 369 Malaga NJ 08328
Phone : (856) 694-2887 Fax: (856) 694-2288
www.americanvegan.org
Congratulations to Marly Winckler and the Brazilian Vegetarians for hosting a wonderful
World Vegetarian Congress. The Congress delivered a strong vegan message.
Marly (right) is seen here with her friend and supporter Hildegard Richter. The translator and interpreter
had worked hard to make vegetarian, health, environmental, and animal rights books and literature
available in Portuguese. See pages 21 through 26.
American Vegan
Published quarterly by
The American Vegan Society
A NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION
56 Dinshah Lane P.O. Box 369
Malaga, NJ 08328-0908
Phone: (856) 694-2887 Fax: (856) 694-2288
www.americanvegan.org
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Nonprofit org.
U.S.
POSTAGE
PAID
MALAGA NJ
Permit No. 5
Permit can only be used by
Publisher, at Malaga P.O.

Volume 4 Number 4 SPRING 2005

Transcription

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