vegetarianism

Why Go Organic?Clean up your diet, clean up the planet

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:28:07 +0100

BY Neal D. Barnard, MD

Q: Is organic food better for me?

A: Yes. By choosing organic, you’ll go a long way toward reducing your exposure to chemicals.

In the world of food production, “organic” does not refer to organic chemistry, organic matter, or any other such thing. The term was coined by English agriculturalist Walter James in the mid-20th century to reflect the sense that a farm is like a living organism. Today, government regulations define organic to mean that the use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and other chemicals is avoided or greatly restricted. In the United States, the National Organic Program of the USDA sets standards for organic agriculture. Other countries have similar bodies.

If a fruit or vegetable is grown in accordance with government organic standards, it can bear the USDA Organic label. For food products that contain multiple ingredients, such as crackers or frozen foods, you’ll see one of three different labels:

”100% Organic” means that the product (by weight or volume) contains only organic ingredients.

”Organic” means that 95 percent of a product consists of organically produced ingredients.

”Made with Organic Ingredients” means a product contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients.

The big advantage to choosing organic food is that it is much lower in chemical residues. This makes a real difference for certain fruit and vegetable crops that are heavily treated with pesticides. According to the Environmental Working Group, these include celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and imported grapes. If you eat any of these foods, buying organic is smart.

On the other hand, the difference between organic and “conventional” is not as great for onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwifruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes, and honeydew melon.

The second advantage is that fewer chemicals used in growing means fewer chemicals ending up in rivers and streams. Worldwide, 6 billion pounds of pesticides are applied to food crops every year. Going organic makes agriculture healthier, not just for you, but for everyone downstream from where crops are grown.

So, organic produce is better for you and for the environment.

Q: What about genetically modified organisms?

A: USDA regulations bar the use of organic labeling for GMO foods. Farmers who aim to produce new varieties must do so with traditional hybridization techniques.

Q: Is organic food more nutritious?

A: Well, that’s another matter. A 2009 report commissioned by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency analyzed the results of 55 previous studies. The report found that nutritionally, organic and “conventional” produce was pretty much the same. In other words, an organic apple or carrot may be free of contaminants and might help the Earth breathe easier, but it is not likely to give you more vitamins and minerals, compared with “conventionally” grown produce.

The USDA sets standards for organic production of animal products too. They require that commonly used agricultural chemicals not be administered at all or, in some cases, that a washout period be observed before meat or milk from a treated animal can be sold. While reducing these chemical residues is a good idea, the health risks commonly attributed to animal products (e.g., heart disease, weight problems, and diabetes) are linked to fat and cholesterol, not to chemical residues. So going organic will not help you there. And, of course, organic regulations do not require that the animals be treated well.

Bottom line: buying organic produce is a good idea, especially for fruits and vegetables that are commonly treated with pesticides.

hot to get the adequate protein from a vegetarian diet??

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:24:16 +0100

If you're worried about getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet, you may be in for a surprise. Are you sitting down? The truth is, most Americans get way too much protein, and vegetarians can easily get more than enough protein in their diet as well. Many people still believe that protein is only available from meat and animal sources and we will all fall over dead without animal protein! Unless you're pregnant or an Olympic bodybuilder, you will likely get more than enough protein without even trying. Here are the best sources of protein for vegetarians.

1. Quinoa and other whole grains

Whole grains are a great source of protein, but the queen of whole grains when it comes to protein content is quinoa. Unlike many sources of vegetarian protein, quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids, making it a "complete protein". Just one cup of cooked quinoa contains 18 grams of protein, as well as nine grams of fiber. Other whole grains, including whole grain bread, brown rice, barley are all healthy protein-rich foods for vegetarians and vegans as well.
Protein content: One cup of cooked quinoa provides about 18 grams of protein.
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2. Beans, Lentils and Legumes

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All beans, lentils, and peas are an excellent vegetarian and vegan source of protein, so eat whichever one you like! Black beans, kidney beans, Indian dhal, vegetarian chili, split pea soup and chickpea hummus - pick one and watch the protein grams add up. Soy is a bean as well, but because soy and its derivatives are such a popular source of protein for vegetarians, it merits it's own entry below.
Protein content: One cup of canned kidney beans contains about 13.4 grams of protein.
Why you should eat it: Beans are one of the most common protein-rich foods for vegetarians. You can find beans in the grocery store or on the menu just about everywhere you may be.

3. Tofu and other soy products

Soy is such a flavor chameleon that you'll never get bored! You may have tried tofu and soy milk before, but what about edamame, soy ice cream, soy yogurt, soy nuts or soy cheese? TVP and tempeh are also protein-rich soy foods. As an added bonus, many brands of tofu and soymilk are fortified with other nutrients that vegetarians and vegans need, such as calcium, iron and vitamin B12. And yes, I did just give you permission to eat soy ice cream to get your protein.
Protein content: A half-cup of tofu contains 10 grams, and soy milk contains 7 grams of protein per cup.
Why you should eat it: You can add a bit of tofu to just about anything you cook, including stir-fries, pasta sauces, soups and salads.

4. Nuts, Seeds and Nut Butters

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Nuts, including peanuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts all contain protein, as do seeds such as sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. Because most nuts and seeds are high in fat, you don't want to make them your primary source of protein. But they're great as a post-workout or occasional snack. Nut butters are delicious as well, and kids of course love peanut butter. Try soy nut butter or cashew nut butter for a little variety if you're bored of peanut butter.
Protein content: Two tablespoons of peanut butter contains about 8 grams of protein.
Why you should eat it: Convenience! Stop into any 7-11 and pick up a snack of nuts to get a protein boost. And of course, kids love peanut butter too.

5. Seitan, Veggie Burgers and Meat Substitutes

Read the label of your store-bought meat substitute products andveggie burgers and you'll find they are quite high in protein! Most commercial meat substitutes are made from either soy protein, wheat protein (wheat gluten) or a combination of the two. So toss a few veggie burgers on the grill or in the microwave, and watch those daily protein grams add right up. Homemade seitan is quite high in protein as well.
Protein content: One veggie patty contains about 10 grams of protein, and 100 grams of seitan provides 21 grams of protein.
Why you should eat it: Seitan and mock meats are great for barbecues or anytime you just want something hearty and filling.
Pictured: Seitan meat substitute

6. Tempeh

Tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans and formed into a patty, but don't let that stop you. It's actually similar to a very firm veggie burger, and, like tofu and seitan, it's quite high in protein and can be prepared in a myriad of ways, making if perfect for vegetarians, vegans, or just folks wishing to reduce meat consumption while exploring alternative protein sources.
Protein content: Varies by brand, but as a guideline, one serving of tempeh (100 grams) provides about 18 grams of protein (that's even more protein per gram than tofu!)
Why you should eat it: Tempeh is a great alternative for folks who don't like tofu.

7. Protein Supplements

So what if you are an Olympic body builder or are trying to gain some serious muscle? In this case, your protein needs will be higher than us average vegetarians and you may be considering supplementing with protein powders or protein shakes. My personal trainer says to read the label and watch out for cheap fillers in whey and soy protein powders. She says it's best to shell out and invest in a good quality. I personally recommend hemp protein powder and green proteins as well.
Protein content: Varies by brand, so read the label.
Why you should eat it: Well, you shouldn't really unless you have special protein needs, as real food is always best.
Pictured: Strawberry protein shake

8. High Protein Recipe Ideas

So, now you know what to eat to make sure you get plenty of protein. If you'd like some recipe ideas using these high-protein vegetarian foods, scroll through this collection of vegetarian and vegan recipes. Each of these recipes has at least 12 grams of protein per serving.
Pictured: Vegetarian Quiche with 20 grams of protein

IMAGINE A VEGAN WORLD

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:11:06 +0100

Let’s imagine if only for a few minutes that everyone on this planet were Vegans, and consumed no animal products. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the typical consumer gets 28% of their calories from mostly meat and dairy products. For countries that are still developing this stat is about 8%, so lets take the average of 15% for the world.

The worlds grain harvest for animal feed is 45% of the entire world and 60% of all grain that is produced in the United States. A study was conducted by Vaclev Smil that concluded that if we take 1kg of vegetable matter to equal 1kg of gross energy consumed, then converting the 1kg consumed product into milk, it would require 4-5kg of vegetable matter, pork, 5-7kg vegetable matter, chicken, 7-10kg of vegetable matter, and beef, 20-25kg of vegetable matter.

Simply moving from beef to chicken would provide a 65% savings in the amount of vegetable matter required to produce the final food product, and even more if we switched from no meat to only dairy. With Beef at25% of global meat, pork at 39%, poultry at 29% we can get an average of 11.2kg of vegetable matter required to produce 1kg of food energy for the whole world.

Based upon the UN studies this means that the global average of 15% calories from animals requires twice as much vegetable matter as the 85% of non-animal calories consumed worldwide. Therefore if we all went vegan we would only need one third of the cropland that we use now.

These are amazing numbers, and are almost unbelievable, but if you crunch the numbers that is what you get. What you also get is this:

At this time 80 tons of nitrogen fertilizer is produced worldwide every year. Since nitrogen fertilizer production produces nitrous oxide, which has a global warming potential of 300 times that of carbon dioxide, the emissions from nitrogen fertilizer equals out to 1376m tons C02 equivalent. In simpler terms by reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer by 2/3 we would offset over 3% of the carbon dioxide produced by humans every year.

Carbon dioxide produced from food transportation just in the UK was 19 million tons in 2002. Calculating the amount of C02 generated by animal feed transportation is very difficult because of the complexity of the supply chain. However if we take into consideration the global nature of the animal feed market, the raw materials are unlikely to have been produced locally than the average UK apple. So being conservative we can assume that total food transportation, humans and animals produces 600m tons, and the whole world combined more around the 1000m tons, or 4% of all carbon dioxide emissions.

Deforestation

Is another unfortunate side effect of cropland growth, especially when the forest that is being destroyed is among the worlds richest and most vital habitats. These same forests absorb about 8% of the worlds C02 each year. Every year about 20,000 square miles of the Amazon is lost through deforestation, with half of that being used for cattle ranching, not to mention the run off from slurry, pesticides and fertilizer is poisoning oceans and rivers worldwide.

I understand that it is un-realistic to think that global Veganism would ever happen, but the realization that our obsession with animal based protein and fat is making a considerable impact on the global environment.

Most Important Reasons to Become A Vegetarian

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:10:11 +0100

1. Live Longer

Numerous University studies have found that vegetarians live about seven years longer than non-vegetarians, and vegans live on average about 15 years longer than meat eaters. Studies such as these are further confirmed by the Chinese Health Project, which is the largest population study on diet and health to date. The Chinese Health Study found Chinese people who eat the least amount of fat and animal products have the lowest risk of heart attack, cancer, and other serious diseases.

In addition to this, proof comes from a British research group that tracked 6,000 Vegetarians and 5,000 meat eaters for 12 years to find that vegetarians were 40 percent less likely to die from cancer during that time and 20 percent less likely to die from other diseases. See theVegetarian FAQ!

2. You’ll make regular visits to the restroom

Veggies are the best source for fiber, which pushes waste out of the body. Meat contains no fiber and collects against the walls of the digestive tract, which can lead to colon cancer. Studies done at Harvard and Brigham Women’s Hospital concluded that people who ate a high-fiber diet had a 42 percent lower risk of diverticulitis. People who eat a high percentage of vegetables in their diets also tend to have fewer counts of constipation, hemorrhoids and spastic colons.

3. Healthy heart

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidant nutrients that protect the heart and the arteries. Fruits and vegetables contain no saturated fat or cholesterol.

The cholesterol levels for vegetarians are on average 14 percent lower than meat eaters. The American diet that is loaded with saturated fats and cholesterol from meat and dairy have made heart disease the number one killer in the United States.

4. Avoid toxic chemicals

95% of pesticide residue in the Western diet comes from meat, fish and dairy products. Seafood, in particular, contain carcinogens (PCBs, DDT) and heavy metals (mercury, arsenic; lead, cadmium) that cannot be removed through cooking or freezing. Meat and dairy products are also laced with steroids and hormones that are injected into the animals to combat disease.

5. You will give your body a detox

Fruit and vegetable juices contain phytochemicals that help our bodies detoxify naturally. Giving up meat helps rid the body of toxins (environmental pollutants, pesticides, and preservatives) that overload our systems and cause illness. Many of these additives cannot be assimilated and pool in various parts of the body.

6. Great Looking Body And Skinnier

A great reason to become Vegetarian is on average, most vegetarians are slimmer than meat eaters. Vegetarian diets are much lower in calories than the standard American diet. Vegetarians are also less likely to suffer from weight-related disorders like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Vegetarian FAQ!

7. Save Lot’s of Money

By replacing meat, chicken and fish with vegetables and fruits, it is estimated to cut your food bill by an average of $4,000 a year.

8. Be environmental friendly

By being a Vegetarian you will help reduce waste and air pollution. A farms in Milford, Utah, which raises 2.5 million pigs yearly, produces more waste than the entire city of Los Angeles. And this is just one farm. Each year, our nation’s factory farms, collectively produce 2 billion tons of manure, a substance that’s rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as one of the country’s top 10 pollutants. And that is not even taking in to account the amount of methane gas released by cows, pigs and poultry, which contributes to the greenhouse effect); the ammonia gases from urine; poison gases that emanate from manure lagoons; toxic chemicals from pesticides; and exhaust from farm equipment used to raise feed for animals.

9. Vegetarians are More Efficient

Right now, 72% of all the grain that is produced in the United States is fed to animals, which are raised for slaughter. It takes about 15 pounds of feed to get one pound of meat. But if this same grain was given directly to people, there would be enough food to feed the entire planet. Using land for animal agriculture is inefficient in terms of maximizing food production. According to the journal of Soil and Water, one acre of land could produce 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots or just 250 pounds of beef. You do the math!

10. Its The Humane Thing To Do

Albert Einstein was quoted as saying “Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” See The Vegetarian Faq!

Did you know that 22 million animals are slaughtered to support the American appetite for meat? It is a great feeling to finish a healthy meal knowing that no beings have suffered.

And this concludes the top 10 Reasons to Become Vegetarian!

INTRODUCTION

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:59:00 +0100

What is a Vegetarian? What is a Vegan?

A vegetarian is one who does not eat meat, fish and poultry. A vegan is a vegetarian who refrains from consuming all animal products including milk, cheese, eggs, wool, silk and leather.

The word 'vegetarian' is derived from the Latin word vegetus meaning 'whole, sound, fresh or lively', and its original meaning implies a balanced philosophical and moral sense of life apart from a diet of vegetables and fruits.

Health reasons - there is evidence of a link between meat-eating and such killers as heart disease and cancer
Ecological reasons - concern about pollution and degradation of the environment
Religious reasons - all major religious scriptures condemn killing of any kind
Compassion for animals - animals too suffer pain and misery when slaughtered
Belief in non-violence - we must eradicate all thoughts of violence before expecting peace in this world
Economics - meat feeds few at the expense of many

What are the different types of Vegetarians?

Vegan - eats food of plant origin only
Ovo vegetarian - eats eggs but no dairy products, meat, fish or poultry
Ovo-lacto vegetarian - eats eggs and dairy products but no meat, fish or poultry
Lacto vegetarian - eats dairy products but no eggs, meat, fish or poultry
Pesco vegetarian - eats fish but no meat or poultry (controversial)
Pollo vegetarian - eats poultry but no meat or fish (controversial)

A vegetarian diet can indeed meet all of one's nutritional requirements.

Good sources of protein include lentils, tofu, low-fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, tempeh and peas.

Many common foods such as whole grain bread, greens, potatoes, pasta, and corn add to one's protein intake.

Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids required for growth.

Good sources of iron include dried beans, spinach, chard, beet greens, blackstrap molasses, bulgur, prune juice, brewer's yeast and dried fruit. Foods containing vitamin C, such as citrus fruit or juices, tomato, or broccoli, increase the absorption of iron from a meal. Cooking food in iron utensils also adds to iron intake.

Good sources of calcium include collard greens, broccoli, kale, low fat dairy products, turnip greens, tofu prepared with calcium, and fortified soy milk.

A diet containing dairy products or eggs provides adequate amounts of vitamin B12. Certain fortified foods, such as some brands of cereal, nutritional yeast, soy milk, or soy analogs, are good non-animal sources of vitamin B12.

Good sources of zinc include whole grains, nuts, soy products, wheat germ and legumes.

Most vegetarian diets are generally lower than non-vegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer.

Vegetarian Substitutes

The following can be used as a substitute for one egg:: - 1 banana (for cakes, pancakes, etc)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- Ener-G Egg Replacer (available in health food stores)
- 1/4 cup tofu (blended smooth with the liquid ingredients)
The following can be used as dairy substitutes:: - soy milk
- soy margarine
- soy yogurt
- nut milks (nuts blended with water and strained)
- rice milks (cooked rice blended with water)
The following can be used as meat substitutes:: - tempeh (cultured soybeans with a chewy texture)
- tofu (frozen and then thawed to give it a meaty texture and off-white colour)
- wheat gluten or seitan (has the texture of meat)

Tofu dogs, black bean burgers and sausage made from textured vegetable protein can replace non-vegetarian favorites such as hot dogs, hamburgers, roast beef and bacon.

Reduce your intake of sweet and fatty foods. These foods are low in nutrients and high in calories.
Choose whole or unrefined grain products, or use fortified or enriched cereal products.
Consume a variety of fruits and vegetables, including foods that are rich in vitamins A and C.
Choose fat-free or low-fat milk and other dairy products.
Limit your consumption of eggs as they are high in cholesterol.
Enjoy a wide variety of foods to ensure that you get the necessary nutrients for good health.

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