Taking a Gander at foie gras

By now you’ve guessed that I really love ducks & geese. I grew up with two companion ducks who lived to be 13 ½ & 16 years old.  This week I took in a huge Chinese goose with an infected foot. He is part of a flock of 9 (was 11) at a pond in South River. They are domestic geese & were dumped there.

3 good reasons not to buy down: Thelma, Louise & Howard

Thelma, Louise & Howard are my three precious Pekin ducks rescued from two Central N.J. ponds. FYI: Those white ducks or white geese you see swimming at local waterways are domestic birds abandoned there by thoughtless people. These birds usually starve, get hit by cars or are picked of by predators. Actually, there are plenty of other kinds of domestic ducks & geese dumped at ponds as well but they look like wild birds to you. Pekins are the most obvious & they definitely can’t fly or fend for themselves.

Have you ever had Brussels sprouts on a stalk?

”What do you think this is?” I ask the kindergarten & first grade students at the Richardson Elementary School in Perth Amboy revealing a large stalk of Brussels sprouts. “It’s a type of vegetable. We cook & eat these small parts.” explaining as I break the small green balls off and hand them to the children.

Changing the Meat Habit

It has been an American habit to eat turkeys on Thanksgiving. Thankfully, more & more people are consciously changing this habit. The habit of being thankful and giving thanks on this holiday does not require eating another living being.

Whole Foods Marketing the Myth of “Humane” Animal Products

Whole Foods recently announced their farm animal & meat quality standards program. I find this very disheartening from a company owned by someone who claims to be vegan.

Vegan: Lifestyle of the Rich & Famous

Recently some financially & politically powerful “mainstream” celebrities declared themselves vegan. Guys like President Bill Clinton, hotel mogul Steve Wynn, boxer Mike Tyson—(yes “ear-chewing” Mike!) ex-NBA star John Salley, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, former National Hockey League brawler Georges Laraque, and professional poker player Daniel Negreanu to name a few. These people and even pop star, Madonna, have all jumped on the plant-based vegetarian band wagon.

What is FOOD FOR LIFE?

What is FOOD FOR LIFE?

In case you're not familiar with my day job, I am the director of a program called Food for Life. I am also a nurse and certified in Plant-based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Foundation of Cornell University.

Food for Life is a free community outreach program which promotes healthy plant-based vegetarian eating. We are a program of the Animal Protection League of NJ.

The mission of Food for Life is to:

1) Promote the health, humane, environmental and economic benefits of eating a plant-based diet.

2) Offer support and guidance to transition from a meat-based diet to a plant-based one. We provide dietary guidelines, nutritional information, meal planning and delicious recipes in English as well as in Spanish.

3) Plant seeds of compassion for animals traditionally raised for human consumption.

Food for Life attends health fairs, community events and festivals where we exhibit, provide literature and talk to people about plant-based vegetarian eating. We give power point presentations and workshops with food tastings for service organizations, schools, clubs, at libraries and special events.

Our Sprouts programs provide age-appropriate interactive and fun nutritional workshops for students grades K-12.

Did I mention that all this is FREE OF CHARGE? If you'd like more information or would like to book a workshop, please email me at foodforlife@aplnj.org

Eating Out: Never a Problem!

People often ask me “how do you eat vegan when you eat out?” I tell them "take me anywhere & I can order a (plant-based) meal." If someone suggests a steakhouse, I don't bat an eyelash nor do I declare I will throw up all over their prime ribs.

The Incrediable Edible Cranberry

Native American people introduced the early pioneers to these tart & tangy bright red berries. Someone thought the blossoms looked like a crane’s head so they called them “crane berries”. Since then, the name has been shortened to “cranberry”. Native to North America, cranberries are grown in only six states. Luckily NJ is one of them.

Enjoy this: "Why do we eat the animals? Oh why? Oh Why?

A video with music are worth a thousand + words.
Enjoy this on YouTube!
http://www.ohwhyohwhy.org/

Eating Healthy in Lean Times

Although bank accounts may be shrinking, waistlines are expanding. People trying to maximize calories per dollar tend to pack on “recession pounds” by eating cheap, fast foods. Processed fast foods, though inexpensive, tend to be high in fat, sugar and calories and low in fiber, antioxidants and nutritional value.

Salmon Update; Saturday 10/2 World Farm Animal Day

If you think speaking up is a waste of time hear this: the FDA has postponed the decision to approve genetically-modified salmon thanks to the outpouring of concern from numerous organizations and the public.

Soy & Cancer Research Updates

Research cited in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that soy intake reduces the risk of prostate cancer and breast cancer in men and women: Results from 14 studies show that increased intake of soy resulted in a 26% reduction in prostate cancer risk. Studies showed a 30% risk reduction with soy milk and tofu consumed (1)

Why are Americans still getting osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is defined as a metabolic disease characterized by the thinning of bones. Caucasians are at greater risk for osteoporosis than African Americans & Latin Americans. Women are 6 times more likely to develop it then men and here’s a kicker--- obesity reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis!

Some (don’t) Like it Hot! A review of “Diet for a Hot Planet: The climate crisis at the end of our fork.” by Anna Lappe`

Thanks to a lack of babysitters, I got to see “Some Like it Hot” (my most favorite movie of all time) as a child. The “hot” in the title refers to jazz. I remember how the audience roared with laughter at the closing line. People walked out of the theatre ebullient, smiling and chattering about the film. The antics of Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis made a lasting impression and I was hooked.
Although “Diet for a Hot Planet” certainly may not evoke the same

The Up Side to the Egg Recall

Although I would never want anyone to contract Salmonella, the recent massive egg recall from two Iowa farms does, possibly, have an up side: People can no longer ignore human health risks from animals raised for food or their by-products. 95% of all eggs are produced at just few massive factory farms. Perhaps now people will get the message that their eggs comes from huge industrial complexes, not from some idyllic setting with rolling green hills, a pretty red barn and chickens happily pecking in the yard. That’s only for the outside of the carton or for television commercials.

UN report urging shift to vegan eating isn't getting much press!

Wow! The UN report environmental report, Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production has stated it loud & clear: we need a global shift to plant-based vegetarian eating (vegan) if we want to survive. Gee, it is rather curious that no American mainstream media picked up on this monumental news. I didn’t hear it on the evening television news, NPR nor did I read it in any newspaper, did you?

New plant-based vegetarian restaurant in Red Bank

GOOD KARMA CAFE
17 East Front Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
http://www.goodkarmacafenj.com/

Phone: 732-450-8344

Monday-Saturday 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM Closed Sunday

Check out their menu: http://www.goodkarmacafenj.com/menu.html

Happy eating!

Grilling, Fake Meats, Betty Crocker & Lucky Ducks

Happy Summer! I hope this email finds you enjoying the nice weather.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions about plant-based eating!

In this issue:

A. Summer Grilling Recipes
B. Some healthy & economical eating ideas!
C. Time Magazine article about “fake” chicken meat.
D. The Betty Crocker Project
E. Daphne & Josephine: 2 very lucky ducks

Upcoming presentations and tabling:
August 21st Clearwater Festival Asbury Park (tabling)

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