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