In this edition...
Health |
 One egg has more cholesterol than fast-food superstar 'Double Down' |
| Antibiotics in livestock causing deadly 'superbugs' |
| UK: Excessive meat-eating 'kills 45,000 each year' |
| 'Engine 2' plant-based diet proves its power |
| Women on vegan diets have more long-chain Omega-3s than fish eaters |
Environment and World Hunger |
| Are you taking global warming personally? |
| Two tonnes of CO2 emitted per person simply by eating |
| People starve while grain goes up in smoke |
| GMO soy bringing poverty, poor health to South America |
| Reckless disregard for the world's tuna |
Lifestyles and Trends |
| The rise of the power vegans |
| Vegetarianism is growing - here's why: The case against meat |
| Delicious, responsible vacation options for vegetarians |
| Debate on meat eating doesn't cut the mustard: Friends of the Earth |
Animal Issues and Advocacy |
| President Bill Clinton the next poster child for PETA? |
| 'Not Chicklett' - Student rescues chicken from class project slaughter |
| Battery hens' reality on Israeli farm exposed by hidden webcam |
| Does eating meat support bestiality? |
| DNA barcoding aims to protect species and food |
Of Note - Recipes, Videos, Calls to Action, More |
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Don't forget to visit:
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(Excerpts are included from current news stories. Click on the "Full story" link to read the full article.)
Health 
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One egg has more cholesterol than fast-food superstar 'Double Down'
Full story: CTV, Canada
For anyone watching their cholesterol, Canadian researchers say eating a single egg could be more harmful than munching the current king of fast food indulgences. According to a new report published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, one egg yolk can contain more cholesterol than a KFC Double Down sandwich. Compared to the 150 milligrams of cholesterol contained in the now-famous sandwich comprised of bacon, cheese and sauce sandwiched between two pieces of deep fried chicken, researchers say a single egg can contain between 215 and 275 milligrams. "We wanted to put cholesterol into perspective, as there's been a widespread misconception developing among the Canadian public and even physicians, that consumption of dietary cholesterol and egg yolks is harmless," researcher Dr. Spence said. "In our opinion, stopping egg consumption after a myocardial infarction or stroke would be like quitting smoking after lung cancer is diagnosed: a necessary act, but late."
Read more... |
Antibiotics in livestock causing deadly 'superbugs'
Full story: World Health Organization Bulletin
When the NDM1 enzyme-containing "superbugs" struck in India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom earlier this year, media reports blamed medical tourism for its spread. But Professor John Conly [University of Calgary, Canada] argues that the overuse and misuse of antibiotics leading to antimicrobial resistance is the more important topic... the usage in humans pales in comparison with the use of antibiotics in the agri-food industry - in cattle, poultry and hog [factory] farming, fish farming, honeybee hives - where these agents are used as growth promoters. Some estimates suggest that antibiotic use in animals and fish is at least 1000-fold greater in terms of absolute tonnage compared with use in humans.
Read more... |
World Health Organization Bulletin - November
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UK: Excessive meat-eating 'kills 45,000 each year'
Full story: Independent, UK
Lowering meat consumption in the UK would prevent about 45,000 premature deaths a year, according to a new study. Oxford University's heart unit analysed the health consequences of a range of diets, concluding that eating meat no more than three times a week would prevent 31,000 deaths from heart disease, 9,000 deaths from cancer and 5,000 deaths from strokes each year, saving the NHS £1.2bn. Friends of the Earth, which commissioned the research for its Healthy Planet Eating report, said reducing meat consumption would also help slow the rates of climate change and deforestation. The report's publication comes in the run-up to a [Parliamentary] vote on the Sustainable Livestock Bill, which would force the Government to introduce an action plan to lessen the environmental impact of livestock farming and reduce meat eating.
Read more... |
Independent, UK - October 19
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'Engine 2' plant-based diet proves its power
Full story: WCAL, Mercersburg, PA, U.S.
A video report on 120 local residents in a small rural town in Pennsylvania who completed Rip Esselstyn's Engine 2 Challenge - eating a plant-based diet for 28 days, losing weight and watching their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers fall dramatically.
Read more... |
WCAL, Mercersburg, PA, U.S. - November 17
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Women on vegan diets have more long-chain Omega-3s than fish eaters
Full story: PCRM
Women following vegan diets have significantly more omega-3 "good fats" in their blood, compared with fish-eaters, meat-eaters, and ovo-lacto vegetarians, according to a new report from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study. Despite zero intake of long-chain omega-3s eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and substantially lower intake of their plant-derived precursor alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), vegan participants converted robust amounts of shorter-chain fatty acids into these long-chain fatty acids. The study included 14,422 men and women aged 39 to 78. [Two noted vegan dieticians Ginny Messina and Jack Norris urge caution on these results.]
Read more... |
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| Environment and World Hunger
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Are you taking global warming personally?
Full story: world.edu
While growing concern about global warming is welcome, the many connections between the increasingly globalized western-style diet and global warming have generally been overlooked , marginalized, or outright denied... It is increasingly clear that eliminating, or at least sharply reducing, the production and consumption of meat and other animal products is imperative to help reduce global warming and other grave environmental threats, in addition to greatly benefitting one's physical and spiritual health and the lives of animals. For some people, this means becoming vegetarian or vegan; some vegetarians are leaning towards or becoming vegans; many omnivores are engaging in Meatless Mondays or otherwise increasing their number of meatless meals; others are becoming "weekday vegetarians," "vegan before dinnertime," or other types of flexitarians. Which path are you on?
Read more... |
Two tonnes of CO2 emitted per person simply by eating
Full story: Independent, UK
Each person emits around two tonnes of CO2 per year just by eating, according to a recent study by researchers at the Universidad de Almeria (UAL) [in Spain]. This means that, in total, activities related to human food consumption amount to 20 per cent of yearly CO2 emissions. The calculations included agricultural and animal production, food processing, sale and distribution, cooking and preparation, packaging, food waste, and human excretion - including breathing and waste water treatment. The study found that the activities with the greatest environmental impact in terms of CO2 emissions were the production of meat and dairy products.
Read more... |
Independent, UK - November 3
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People starve while grain goes up in smoke
Full story: Urban Garden Magazine
There are at this time three competing demands for grain: human food, fodder, and fuel... Does it give you a warm and fuzzy feeling that we burn the grain that is sufficient to eliminate world hunger? Me neither. The feed use is increasingly for beef, and the fuel use is primarily bioethanol - an attempt to use the "cushion" in world grain production to let the middle class, particularly in the U.S. and China, indulge in quarter-pounders and gas guzzlers for a few more years, while the poor's burgeoning undernourished try to maintain themselves on an ever-slimmer portion of the grain production. [A brief excerpt from a complex, thought-provoking article.]
Read more... |
Urban Garden Magazine - August 31
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GMO soy bringing poverty, poor health to South America
Full story: NaturalNews.com
Multinational biotechnology giants like Monsanto continue to spread their genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) around the world in the name of ending world hunger and reducing poverty, but a new report out of Sweden has found the exact opposite to be true. According to a recent piece in SvD, a Swedish newspaper, the transition of South American agriculture from small-scale, localized, diversified farming to primarily large-scale, industrialized, GMO soy farming is destroying the environment, increasing poverty, and harming human health. "The multinationals are talking about solving climate problems and food supply through GMO, but they are really only interested in making money," explained Jorge Geleano, an advocate for small farmers' rights in South America, to SvD. "Their methods destroy traditional farming that provides food for our population and replaces it with soy, which goes into animal feed to provide meat for the West."
Read more... |
NaturalNews.com - November 14
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Reckless disregard for the world's tuna
Full story: Montreal Gazette
The 48-country agency that is supposed to assure the sustainability of Atlantic tuna has caved in to certain Mediterranean states, putting aside scientific evidence to approve continued large catches. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, meeting in Paris, has dealt a damaging blow to true sustainability.
Read more... |
Montreal Gazette - November 23
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| Lifestyles and Trends
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The rise of the power vegans
Full story: Bloomberg Businessweek, U.S.
It used to be easy for moguls to flaunt their power. All they had to do was renovate the chalet in St. Moritz, buy the latest Gulfstream jet, lay off 5,000 employees, or marry a much younger Asian woman. By now, though, they've used up all the easy ways to distinguish themselves from the rest of which may be why a growing number of America's most powerful bosses have become vegan. Steve Wynn, Mort Zuckerman, Russell Simmons, and Bill Clinton are now using tempeh to assert their superiority. As are Ford Executive Chairman of the Board Bill Ford, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, venture capitalist Joi Ito, Whole Foods Market Chief Executive Officer John Mackey, and Mike Tyson. Yes, Mike Tyson, a man who once chewed on human ear, is now vegan. His dietary habit isn't nearly as impressive as that of Alec Baldwin, though, who has found a way to be both vegan and fat at the same time. It shouldn't be surprising that so many CEOs are shunning meat, dairy, and eggs: It's an exclusive club.
Read more... |
Bloomberg Businessweek, U.S. - November 4
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Vegetarianism is growing - here's why: The case against meat
Full story: Subversify.com
According to the most recent surveys, 6% of the World's population admits to never eating meat. That's an easy 360 million people. They're here, and their numbers are growing. According to the last U.S. health reports, vegetarians and vegans ranked amongst the healthiest strata of population: little to no diabetes, heart conditions, weight problems and overall highest life expectancy. There are many reasons why people don't eat meat, for some it's a question of religion, for others, environmental concerns, empathy towards animals, health matters... or all of the above. What was once regarded in Western countries as some freak habit of a handful dirty hippies is now taking over sections of your cookbooks, supermarkets and TV shows. In this short essay I'll sum up the case against meat and debunk some of the myths surrounding vegetarianism/veganism. I've done my homework, I've done my research, I've walked the walk. Now hear me out.
Read more... |
Subversify.com - October 29
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Delicious, responsible vacation options for vegetarians
Full story: JustMeans
Taking a responsible vacation as a vegetarian can be a burden or a blessing. If you call yourself a vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, fruitarian, herbivore or any such variation, you might want to check out these four countries for good eats.
Read more... |
Debate on meat eating doesn't cut the mustard: Friends of the Earth
Full story: Guardian, UK
Our all-or-nothing approach to meat eating leaves us with no understanding - and little tolerance - of the concept of a low-meat meat diet. It's awkward telling friends who know you eat meat that you'd rather have a specially prepared vegetarian option when you're invited round for dinner. It smacks of the sort of hypocritical vegetarianism that people love to sniff out and ridicule and it's much easier to just avoid the issue and eat whatever's going. But avoiding social and political awkwardness is preventing us - as a society - from transforming our farming sector into one that's sustainable. Producing meat that's planet-friendly and continuing to enjoy it in the future means re-thinking the type and quantity we consume now. While we're distracted by an unhelpful, polarised debate, we're losing out on opportunities to drive forward changes that would help us to make this shift.
Read more... |
Guardian, UK - October 19
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| Animal Issues and Advocacy
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President Bill Clinton the next poster child for PETA?
Full story: Green Celebrity Network
With the emphasis placed on leading a vegetarian lifestyle and embarking on a rigorous health and fitness regimen, celebrity former President Bill Clinton could be sexy once again, in the eyes of PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has made the decision to put former President Bill Clinton on their list of Sexiest Vegetarian Celebs for 2011. The news comes several months after former President Bill Clinton announced that he was actively leading a vegetarian lifestyle, of course making PETA officials very happy, and sparking regenerated interest in health and fitness news.
Read more... |
Green Celebrity Network - November 9
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'Not Chicklett' - Student rescues chicken from class project slaughter
Full story: Salina Journal, KS, U.S.
Whitney Hillman already considered herself a "borderline vegetarian," limiting her meat-eating to chicken, pepperoni - and, of course, bacon. But thanks to a class project to learn about how food is produced and raised, the Concordia High School junior is crossing chicken off her list. "It really sucks," she said. "I liked chicken, but now I can't look at one without thinking of Chicklett." Chicklett is the 6-week-old broiler Hillman raised as part of an animal science class project at the school. Each student was to raise one bird, keeping track of how much food it ate, how much space it needed, how quickly it gained weight and other factors. Chicklett is also the only chicken to survive the project: when students were supposed to kill and dress their birds, Hillman tucked hers into a purse, ran out of the school and took the bird to a friend's nearby farm. [In a letter to the school she said "I will gladly accept any punishment you give me, but I will not apologize for what I have done, I will not regret it, and I would definitely do it again if I had to."]
Read more... |
Salina Journal, KS, U.S. - October 20
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Battery hens' reality on Israeli farm exposed by hidden webcam
Full story: Guardian, UK
Three hens confined to a small wire coop in a battery farm in central Israel have become the stars of a 24-hour web-feed aimed at drawing attention to the plight of caged chickens ahead of a key parliamentary vote [November 10]. The chickens, who barely have room to move inside their cage, are forced to peck for food through wire mesh. Activists from Anonymous for Animal Rights, a Tel Aviv-based pressure group, installed a hidden camera in a covert operation at an unidentified chicken farm in central Israel. [Israeli petition.]
Read more... |
Guardian, UK - November 9
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Does eating meat support bestiality?
Full story: Huffington Post
Americans eat the corpses of about 10 billion land animals every year. Every one of those animals was made of flesh, blood, and bone - just like us. Every one had eyes, ears, nostrils, a mouth and limbs, just like we do. They have the same five physiological senses that we do. And as Dr. Temple Grandin notes, they "have the same core feelings people do." And, of course, every one of those animals started with a mother and a father, just like we did. The thing is: None of these mothers and fathers mated naturally. Human beings stepped in and manipulated the process - masturbating male pigs and, cramming their arms into animals' rectums, and turning the entire process into something out of a surrealist horror novel. Bestiality is defined by Webster's as "sexual activity between a person and an animal," and all meat in the United States comes from precisely that relationship. Why is it illegal, deviant, and cause for imprisonment for some farmer to engage in bestiality inside a barn if he's doing it for personal enjoyment, but perfectly legal for that same farmer to do it as part of "standard agricultural practices" used to put animal corpses on our nation's dinner tables? It's a glaring contradiction that just doesn't add up.
Read more... |
Huffington Post - November 24
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DNA barcoding aims to protect species and food
Full story: Montreal Gazette, Canada
Call it a DNA digital Dewey Decimal System for all life on Earth. Every species, from extinct to thriving, is set to get its own DNA barcode in an attempt to better track the ones that are endangered, as well as those being shipped across international borders as food or consumer products. Researchers hope handheld mobile devices will be able to one day read these digital strips of rainbow-colored barcodes - much like supermarket scanners - to identify different species by testing tissue samples on site and comparing them with a digital database. The International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL) is being built by scientists using fragments of DNA to create a database of all life forms. While the library is based in Canada, which led the early stages of DNA barcoding, 25 other countries are also involved. Bob Hanner, associate director of the International Barcode of Life project, said the DNA barcode library will help prevent the illegal exploitation of animals.
Read more... |
Montreal Gazette, Canada - November 1
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| Of Note - Recipes, Videos, Calls to Action, More
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So many recipes...
It's that time of year when sharing food with family and friends is even more special and when vegans want it to be all about celebrating, not suffering. Here are some resources to help... VegNews has links to lots of holiday recipes with a Canadian twist in their "Autumn harvest" article. The New York Times has an abundance of wonderful fare in their Eat Well series of articles and recipes around a vegetarian holiday theme (not all vegan, but easily adaptable). GentleThanksgiving.org and PETA have excellent recipes and tips to ensure an inclusive feast. Our VegE-News recipe section has veggie versions of traditional French-Canadian holiday fare such as tortière, a delicious meat pie (search for 'French-Canadian'). Finally, Lani Muelrath, Dr. McDougall's fitness expert, shows how easy it is to up your veggies with healthy soup - any time of the year.
Autumn harvest, Canadian style
NYT vegetarian Thanksgiving/Holidays
'Gentle Thanksgiving' (holiday) recipes
PETA's recipes and tips for a vegan holiday
VegE-News recipes and tips
Lani Muelrath makes soup
Please tell your friends
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Subscribe to VegE-News
Video shorts (and longs)
This month: The 'clean coal myth' is explored in a new doc Dirty Business - "I'll never forget my first look at a coal mine. It was like the first time you look into a slaughterhouse after you've spent a lifetime eating hamburgers"; Dr. Neal Barnard extols the virtues of "The Three Sisters" for a new holiday tradition on PCRM's Food for Life TV; a snippet from a new vegan cooking TV show with Robin Quivers and chef Gavan Murphy - we can't wait for the show to air!; "The more rice, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beans you eat, the trimmer and healthier you will be - and with those same food choices you will help save the Planet Earth too," explains Dr. McDougall in The Starch Solution (relatively long for our "shorts" but very worthwhile); finally, Vegan.com introduces a video talk by Mark Bittman who promotes “lessmeatarianism" and says "embrace your inner vegan."
Dirty Business trailer
The Three Sisters
Vegucating Robin - new vegan cooking show
Dr. McDougall on the Starch Solution
Mark Bittman
Eco, veg, animal, and people friendly gift ideas
A few of our fave sources for gifts....
Farm Sanctuary
25 gifts under $25 - plus adopt a farm animal program
E-The Environmental Magazine
special holiday rates
World Wildlife Fund
adopt a species and more ideas
Humane Society International or Canada or U.S.
loads of humane gift ideas
Top plant-based nutrition guides"
thanks to VegSource for a great list and excellent ideas for helpful gifts for family and friends - Buy them through our The VegE-Store if you would like to support VegE-News at the same time!
PETA
lots of gift ideas - or be an 'angel' and give a doghouse for a cold, lonely dog
Good Baby
hand made baby stuff
Patchwork Place
unique bags & totes
Ten Thousand Villages
amazing array of fair trade gifts for everyone
Podcasts/Blogs
Laura K. Lawless, an ex-pat American who lives in the South of France, has a great recipe site cum blog with lots of recipes and info. Ask your omnivore friends to answer her forum question: "Why would anyone choose *not* to be vegetarian?" - or answer yourself if you aren't a veggie.
The Veggie Table
Susan Voisin writes a wonderful food blog with excellent recipes and sage advice. You can subscribe and receive creative, fat free recipes each week making use of fresh vegetables in season.
Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
More than 500 vegan bloggers have joined forces to post daily recipes, observations and sources in November on the website Vegan MOFO (or Vegan Month of Food),
Vegan MOFO
Correcting the link from October: A very touching article about the loss of a pet cat... "as long as I’m still breathing, I’ll cherish the memories of my sweet little girlie."
The death of a friend named Angel
Calls to action
A message from Planet Peace Daily: Every year millions of people in North America send out cards calling for "Peace on Earth." This year we at Plant Peace Daily think it's time to bring more meaning to those words. We are hoping that you will join us in a campaign to educate and stir the conscience of peace advocates and clergy across the land. We have revised the preface to the book Old MacDonald's Factory Farm by C. David Coates for posting on community bulletin boards and for sending to places of worship. The campaign has already contacted over 600 religious leaders around the U.S. (all 50 states) and Canada! Read the powerful A Holiday Thought at the links below and print out a pdf to spread the word by mail, e-mail, bulletin boards, etc.
A Holiday Thought
A Holiday Thought - Facebook link
On November 29th, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico will start. Veg Climate Alliance, In Defense of Animals, Farm Animal Rights Movement, Anima Naturalis and A-Well-Fed World have partnered to organize an international grassroots campaign - Green Your Plate, Green Your Planet - to alert the delegates and the world at large that a change to a veg diet is needed to stop climate change. Also MeatFreeCop16.org is asking for help in encouraging delegates to make an ethical lifestyle choice for world health, for the environment and for the animals.
Green Your Plate
Meat Free Cop 16
Farm Sanctuary is asking for help to end experiments on pigs, sensitive, social animals who don't deserve to be subjected to these cruel and unnecessary procedures. Despite the fact that 95 percent of medical centers have moved to human-based training methods, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center continues to use live pigs in their courses. The American College of Surgeons has already approved several non-animal training procedures for these courses.
Stop pig experimentation
Donations always helpful - and appreciated!
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