The Island Vegetarian Vegetarian Society of Hawaii Quarterly Newsletter SUPPORTING HUMAN HEALTH, ANIMAL RIGHTS, AND ECOLOGY VOLUME 14, ISSUE 2, APR – JUN 2003 3Inside An Interview with Joanne · President’s Message Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina · William Harris, MD · Ruth Heidrich, PhD he following interview is with Joanne T Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina, coau- · Animal Rights Corner thors of the recently released and highly acclaimed book, Raising Vegetarian Chil- · Calendar of Events dren: A Guide to Good Health and Family & Bookstore Harmony (McGraw-Hill, 2002). VB: What inspired you to write Raising · Reviews Vegetarian Children? · Recipes Joanne: Over the years I’ve responded to hundreds of letters and questions from both parents and young people around the world Public Lectures* relating how vegetarianism has affected their relationships and families, and I real- Vesanto Melina, RD, MS presented STEVEN DRUKER, ESQ ized there was no comprehensive resource “Vegetarian Diplomacy” at the March “Genetically Engineered available to help support them and offer VSH meetings on Oahu and Maui. guidance. I became a vegetarian as a young Foods: Unique Health Risks girl and was and still am the only vegetarian in my family. Surprisingly, almost for Vegetarians” forty years later, the same issues and problems are experienced between parents and their children. When I was young, I made a promise to myself to be an advo- Wed., April 9, 7 p.m. cate for young vegetarians when I became an adult. I’m thrilled to have been Ala Wai Golf Course Clubhouse able to fulfill this promise by writing Raising Vegetarian Children. KIMBERLY D. CLARK, PhD Vesanto: I have a daughter who has been vegetarian from birth. From early on she had no interest in eating meat and seemed to have come into life with vege- “Organic Foods: tarianism ingrained in her character. We can learn so much from our children! Their Future Is Up to You” I’ve had wonderful times teaching vegetarian cooking to my son; he comes up with excellent ideas. Beyond that, my family’s dietary practices have been, and Wed., May 14, 7 p.m. continue to be, very mixed, from veganism to staunch meat-eating, though I no- Ala Wai Golf Course Clubhouse tice that the meat-eaters are becoming more vegetarian-friendly with time. I do nutrition consultations with individuals and families all over North GENE BAUSTON America and present seminars from Hawaii to England. Time after time the same sorts of questions emerge. Writing Raising Vegetarian Children has given me the “The Dangers of opportunity to share some of the knowledge and wisdom I’ve gained while Factory Farms” teaching nutrition at the university level and acting as a health department nutri- Wed., June 11, 7 p.m. tionist and consultant. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Joanne on this project. By combining our Ala Wai Golf Course Clubhouse individual areas of expertise, we created a work that is better than either of us could have created alone. The Island Vegetarian • Apr - Jun 2003 Page 1 *See page 8 for more info. (See Interview on page 18) President’s Message by Alida Rutchick, MEd Dear friends, The Island Vegetarian Events have certainly overtaken us in recent days. As I write this message, we are ending the third day of the U.S.-led attack on Iraq. We can only hope The Island Vegetarian is published now for a swift ending with minimal loss on all sides. In trying and distracting quarterly by and for the members of the times like these I believe that it’s important to keep before us our personal mis- Vegetarian Society of Hawaii sions. The mission of our organization has been clear and unwavering since its P.O. Box 23208 creation; we will continue in our own way to work toward a world that is free Honolulu, HI 96823-3208 of violence and pain. 808-944-VEGI (8344) In my president’s message last quarter I spoke about the continuum of e-mail: [email protected] awareness in the field of vegetarianism and our increased concern about the www.VSH.org human rights impacts of eating animals. Recently I’ve experienced additional movement on my own continuum. A year ago I began to be more consistent Visit our website for with having no added oil in my diet, eating more fruits and veggies, and eating newsletter archives and more. only organic produce. These changes led gradually to a largely raw food diet, which I’ve been enjoying for the past few months. I must say that I feel won- Board of Directors derful. Not cooking my plants means that more of their nutrients are available President: Alida Rutchick, MEd to me. With this lighter diet, I myself feel lighter, more energetic, less stressed, Vice Pres: Jim Brown and healthier overall. Secretary: Mary Arakaki VSH membership is now just under 1400. This is very good, as it indicates Treasurer: Tony Lim, CPA that people are continuing to realize the importance of being concerned about Directors: Bill Harris, MD their health in spite of -- or maybe because of -- the stressful events in the Elaine Johnson, MBA world around us. This, I believe, is a most important time to reassess our val- Karl Seff, PhD ues and make a commitment to ourselves to do whatever we can to enhance the general quality of life of the planet. Admittedly there’s a lot that we don’t have Newsletter Committee direct control over, but this one thing we do, and it can go a very long way. Jim Brown By this time next quarter we will be in a very different place, I expect. The Alida Rutchick, MEd next 12 weeks I hope will bring healing to the world and also to each of us. Helen Wells, MA Aloha, Volunteer Coordinator Robert Moses Mahalo to all our volunteers. The opinions expressed in this e a part of one of the largest and fast- newsletter are those of the writers B est growing vegetarian societies in the and do not necessarily reflect those country by helping to spread our healthful of the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii. and compassionate message in our commu- nity. Volunteers are vital to our success and Mahalo to the Adobe Corporation every little bit helps. Call 944-VEGI (8344) for a generous software donation. or e-mail [email protected]. Thanks! Page 2 The Island Vegetarian • Apr - Jun 2003 “political booty”) go to feed-grain ine himself as a citizen of a common- “...Money Where production.2 As Pattrice Le-Muire wealth, in duty bound to give as well Jones pointed out in her VSH lecture as take; he can imagine himself only Your Mouth Is...” “Food Sovereignty, Environmental as getting all and giving nothing. I Justice, and the Geopolitics of Meat” doubt that the human race, as a by William Harris, MD in December of last year, this situa- whole, would submit to that sort of VSH TV Coordinator tion is the result of a buyer’s monop- high-jacking, year in and year out, oly controlled by the animal food in- from any other necessary class of racking the spoor of the USDA 3 dustry that has enough market clout men.” And this he said even before and its handout subsidiary, the T to set a low price for feed grain. The the CCC started up in 1933. Commodities Credit Corporation midwest grain farmers then force Any “blackmailing.. high- (CCC), is a personal hobby of mine. their duly subservient U.S. senators jacking... roguery and incompetence” Cometh now confirmation and representatives to up- on the part of farmers is really the from the Produce for Bet- espite compris- hold 1933 legislation that result of government intervention on ter Health Foundation D ing 33 percent extracts from the rest of behalf of the least nutritious products (PBHF), sponsors of the 4 of the recommended us the difference between of American agriculture. The PBHF National 5-A-Day Pro- food servings in the what the grain farmers and the 5-A-Day program are life gram, that there is a wide Food Guide Pyra- want and what the buoys in a sea of misinformation, but discrepancy between what chicken farmers, dairy food is indeed “something--that we the USDA food pyramid mid, fruits and vege- folks, and ranchers will must get somehow on penalty of adviseth and what the tables account for pay. Docile taxpayers death” and precisely because it is, it USDA giveth away in less than 5 percent provide that difference doesn’t really need to be advertised cash. of USDA spending. apparently unaware that or supported. Concluded the PBHF, the end products—eggs, dairy, and Producers of the approximately relying on figures from the General meat—produce further budgetary 162 different fruits and vegetables Accounting Office (GAO): “Despite mayhem in the form of higher health grown and commercially marketed in comprising 33 percent of the recom- care costs and lots of animal and hu- the United States have always sur- mended food servings in the Food man misery. vived on their own. When quizzed by Guide Pyramid, fruits and vegetables As the editor/curmudgeon of the the GAO in 1991, they also said in account for less than 5 percent of old American Mercury, H.L. effect, “the nutritional benefits of USDA spending.”1 Mencken, once said in describing the fruits and vegetables are already well Presently the majority of USDA American farmer: “...we are asked to known, so why waste the money on “Production Flexibility Con- 5 venerate this prehensile moron as the advertising?” tracts” (aka “subsidies,” aka Urburgher, the citizen par excellence, What ol’ cigar smoking, meat the foundation-stone eating H.L.