Objectives n Understand why Why Vegetarian people are interested in vegetarianism n Articulate benefits of vegetarianism Dilip Barman, www.dilip.info n Describe local and other resources and President, Triangle Vegetarian Society references for more World Vegetarian Congress, Florianopolis, Brazil information F November 12, 2004, 11a-noon © Copyright Dilip Barman, 2000 -2004 Your Health Agenda n Amer. Dietetic Assoc.1 shown vegetarian diets n Why? Health, assoc. w/ reduced risk for environment, ethics, many chronic diseases taste, … n Obesity, coronary artery disease, diabetes, n Basic Definitions and colorectal cancer, lung cancer, kidney disease, Misperceptions hypertension n Few quick food ideas n Vegan may be healthiest from my kitchen n Cholesterol is biggest factor for heart attack2 n References n Most significant > 1503 n Avg US vegan at 1284 n High levels consistently assoc. w/ many cancers5 n Saturated fat - stronger mortality correlation than n Dietary fiber comes from plants 6 smoking n High fiber diets associated with decreased cancer, n Only concentrated saturated fat vegetable sources are obesity, coronary artery disease9 tropical & artificially hydrogenated oils (margarine) n Can bind and escort out contaminants n Few vegan foods high fat –nuts, avocados, seeds, oils n Longevity n Overweight folks on low-fat vegetarian diet lose avg n 1976-1988 study of 34,000 Seventh-Day Adventists: of 24 pounds in a year and keep it off 5 years later7 vegetarians live 7 years longer than meat eaters and n Only effective way to reverse heart disease vegans 8 years longer10 n More effective than other diets8 n Evidence of 13 additional healthy years of life for n Dean Ornish’s work is seminal vegetarians – animal products impede immune system, decrease energy, speed up cognitive and sexual dysfunction, clog arteries11 Page 1 © Copyright Dilip Barman, 2000-2004 Environment n Eating high on food chain wastes resources n World hunger (B=billion) n 70% of US 1 (33% n Only 4B of world’s 5.6B properly nourished 2 worldwide ) grain used as n If all became vegan, current vegetarian food farm animal feed production could nourish 7B7 n Eating plants would save 90% energy3 n Of course, this is just one element (distribution, n 10-30 pounds grain to politics, …) 4 make 1 pound beef – and n Manure only 35-40% of steer’s body weight becomes beef n In US, animal manure 130x that of humans’8 for people5 n EPA has found 60% of rivers and streams “impaired” n Rain forest biodiversity – agricultural runoff is biggest source9 n Water (200x to grow pound of beef vs. pound of potatoes 6), fossil fuels, … Ethics n Desertification of US West by grazing9 n Cattle graze 70% of west11 – but this generates only n Ahimsa 12 2% of feed eaten by US cattle n Minimize impact on n 306 million acres public land for private ranching13 the earth – fair use of n Cow consumes thousands of pounds biomass not resources returned to land n Sustainability n Not picky eater – strip land and ecosystems n Animal suffering n Dung hardens in sun and persists months or years – and kills what it covers n “Live simply so that n Expense (1997) to ranchers to graze a steer on public others may live” 14 land: $1.35/month n Food for the Gods n Many other costs – taxpayers pay for roads, fences, killing threatening wildlife, … Taste! Ease of Food Preparation n Diversity of food n So many n Ethnic cuisines combinations, so much vegetarian n Not same old “meat and potatoes” – convenience food though you can have n Treat tofu as meat in that, too (analogues)! recipes you may have n Raw options n Economics Page 2 © Copyright Dilip Barman, 2000-2004 Types of Vegetarians n Ovo-Lacto (no flesh) n Lacto (no flesh or eggs) n Vegan (no animal products incl. dairy; entire lifestyle) n Raw, macrobiotic, eggitarian, fruitarian, … Common Misperceptions Some Questions to Consider n If it’s good for the planet, the animals, world n Protein hunger, and human health, why not move toward vegetarianism? n B12 n Difficulty n For folks who do eat meat, why raise animals in cruel confinement with little or no consideration n What to cook for their pain and comfort? n Dining out n Why do we care for pets but eat other animals? n Holidays n Why do some feel it’s okay to eat pigs (high IQ, n Raising children family bonds, etc.), but not dogs? Where does one draw the line? n If we like the taste of meat, what about low-/no- fat and easy to cook analogues? Interesting Related Issues n Organic food n Irradiated food n Genetic modifications n Raw foods n Ayurvedic theory, food preparation techniques,… n Animal ethics vs. welfare n Environmental politics, water rights n Peace and justice n “Mad Cow” disease, prions Page 3 © Copyright Dilip Barman, 2000-2004 Quick and Easy Ideas n Red chili tortilla wrap n Marinate portabello n Traditional pizza – crust n Try unfamiliar vegetables filled with lettuce, mushroom; bake then with sesame seeds, in a steamer or stir fried tomato, salsa, shallots; broil; serve w/ garlic and overlapped roma tomato n Freeze fruit and put it maybe bell peppers, fresh herbs slices, salt, oregano; bake through a high-powered o mushrooms, etc. as well n Slice potatoes thin, slight 350 F 10 mins; serve juicer to get “ice cream” n Textured Vegetable olive oil spray, put in hot with fresh basil n Baked apple w/cinnamon Protein in sauces 425oF oven 8-10 mins n Sprinkle bread crumbs n Experiment (in n Steam artichoke 35 mins n Roast vegetables; roast and garlic atop truncated moderation) with infused and dip leaves in lemon garlic and squeeze onto tomato and bake oils – extra virgin olive, juice-herb dressing crusty bread n Sprout or boil grains grapeseed, canola, … (compost discards!) n Buy mixed salad greens n Try heirloom tomatoes & n Try stevia as a sweetener other fruits/vegetables Novel Combinations Meat Analogs n Roast eggplant & red bell pepper; simmer w/tomato n Tofu dogs – some have sauce; serve on pasta no fat n Use leeks instead of n Many kinds of tofu onions (wash well!) burgers n Make sweet potato dishes n Grain burgers savory by combining n Fakin’ bacon, foney with bread crumbs, spices, onions, etc. baloney, puparoni, FBLT w/ nayonaise, “cold n Add organic rose petals cuts”, … to your salad n Tofurky n Color – organic blue and n Seitan purple potatoes, blood oranges, purple peppers Fun Things to do with Tofu n Freeze then thaw it Other Interesting Foods n Add it to stir fries n Tempeh n Mash it, sauté it, and then n Staple in Indonesia add it to tacos n Saute with mushrooms, onions, bell peppers and n Scramble it with serve with pasta turmeric, other spices, n Mix in with sauces onions, and mushrooms n Seitan n Marinate and bake it n Plain as side course n Blend it into smoothies n Very low fat stew n Enjoy it raw n Fajitas n Mix it with chocolate! n Many types mushrooms (for desserts, use septic n Spices, herbs, nutritional packaged; otherwise use yeast sealed refrigerated) Page 4 © Copyright Dilip Barman, 2000-2004 Good Cookbooks n Gentle World, Incredibly Delicious: The Vegan Paradigm Cookbook, 2000 n Jennifer Raymond, Peaceful Palate, 1992 n Yamuna Devi, The Best of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine, 1991 n Many good searchable web archives like IVU’s from around the world www.ivu.org/recipes/ -- see the TVS links page n My own cookbook n … or no cookbook at all – just experiment! Book References n Mark Warren Reinhardt, The Perfectly Contented Meat- Internet Resources Eater's Guide to Vegetarianism, 1998 n Suzanne Havala, (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to) Being Vegetarian, 1999 n www.trianglevegsociety.org – lots of pointers, n Erik Marcus, Vegan:The New Ethics for Eating,1997 plus local events (including peace calendar) n Howard Lyman, Mad Cowboy, 1998 n www.dilip.info/vegetarian.html n Mark & Virginia Messina, Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets, 1996 n www.trianglevegsociety.org/presentations/whyve n Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer, How it All Vegan, 1999 getarian n Rynn Berry, Food for the Gods, 1998 n www.vegan.com - issues and news n John Vidal, McLibel: Burger Culture on Trial, 1997 n www.veganoutreach.org - Why Vegan n Lynn Jacobs, Waste of the West, 1992 n www.olympus.net/biz/messina/adapaper.htm - n Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962 ADA Position Paper on Vegetarian Diets Local Resources Other Organizations n Vegetarian Resource Group, www.vrg.org n Your local vegetarian group (TVS is (Vegetarian Journal) www.trianglevegsociety.org) n North American Vegetarian Society, n Your local animal rights group www.navs-online.org (Summerfest, n Ethical Culture Society – ours is Vegetarian Voice) www.ncethicalsociety.org n VUNA and IVU (www.ivu.org) (World n Vegan cooking classes – offer one if none exists! Vegetarian Congress) n Dietitians, nutritionists, holistic care givers n PCRM, www.pcrm.org (Good Medicine) n Bookstores, libraries Page 5 © Copyright Dilip Barman, 2000-2004 By the way, Thanksgiving … www.trianglevegsociety.org/thanksgiving04 Quinoa salad with olives, shallots, pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, and garlic Caveat Emptor in a base of the lovely crunchy grain quinoa, with arugula and rose- No animals were injured in creating this presentation. Void where prohibited by mary-carmelized pear; warm spinach orzo with pesto; braised garlicky greens; hearts of Romaine lettuce with lemon, olive oil, and capers; law. All rights reserved. Your mileage may vary. Available while quantities last. string bean almondine; lightly steamed corn-off-the-cob accented with Used with permission.