The Veggie Blog

As I have grown older I have come to know more and more people diagnosed with some form of cancer. Some die from this disease and others suffer long and hard with it. Some beat it but always fear that it will return. I’m wondering why more people do not opt for trying to prevent cancer in the first place. Perhaps this is due to life long rituals and lack of knowledge, so I encourage everyone who reads this post to share it with everyone they know.

Prevention is the key to many health and wellness issues. Yes, the avoidance or addition of certain things in our lives can prolong them and even make them more livable. When it comes to cancer, there are a few things we can do which will benefit our entire well being, including the reversal of fatigue, digestive problems and even a poor complexion.

Obviously one should avoid cigarette smoking and get adequate exercise for optimal health, but did you know that by simply adding certain foods to our dietary intake, we can greatly decrease our chances of getting caner in the first place?

Rather than offer my own two cents, here is an article by a college student who vigorously studies and researches topics on health and nutrition, and is also pursuing a degree in clinical dietetics. I read her article on NaturalNews.com and her blog may be found at: http://www.snhbw.blogspot.com

Chlorophyll Can Help Treat Cancer
by Ella Andersen

If chlorophyll is consumed after having cancer-causing food items, however, there will be little benefit because the carcinogen has been ingested and assimilated. Therefore, it is important to have your veggie-filled salad before eating anything that may have carcinogenic effects.

What is more exciting than summertime greenery shooting up everywhere?! The versatility of greens enables the consumer to go from cold refreshing salads to deep roasted flavors or tasty quick-cooking stir-frys. The only limiting factor is the availability at your local markets and grocery stores. One of the best ways to eat greens is when they are of course, at their freshest, so check out the summer farmer stands! It’s amazing to witness the difference in size, shape, colorations, flavors, textures, density and aroma that come from this one category of vegetables, “greens.” Oftentimes, in large grocery stores, consumers will see the stripped down version of a vegetable devoid of the flavor and greenery that are so natural to the garden variety. However, local markets and stands will often have many more garden representational varieties and at least a couple options that include the accompanying greenery!

Take carrots, beets and turnips, for example. Carrot tops, while not particularly strong or desirable as a salad component, can be added to soups, stews and casseroles for additional green flavor. Beet and turnip tops can be eaten in a gentle marinate for a superb cold salad, or thrown into a sauce or stir-fry at the last minute for some healthy green flavor and oh, taste!

Some other widely available summer greens include Swiss chard, mustard greens and kale. Always look for leaves that are free from yellowing and browning, and are not wilted. Simple ways to cook these greens are in a hot pan with a small amount of oil for a quick stir-fry that not only preserves the color, but also some of the crisp texture and fresh flavor. They can also be steamed, but be more cautious when doing so, as they can be quickly over-steamed into a mushy mess! Kale and mustard greens are wonderful additions to soups, in the last few minutes, or to casseroles, when looking to add greens that hold their shape rather well. Oh, and who can forget using greens as wrappers for a multitude of different fillings! Think of lettuce wraps, replacing the lettuce with healthier greens like kale instead! Use these leaves instead of fajitas or grain-based wraps, for a healthier and fresher approach to any meal!

Because of the high tendency to regularly consume salads, and thus, traditional salad greens, this author will avoid discussing the joys of endive, radicchio, frisee, arugula, spinach, lettuce and the like. For a palate-pleasing change to the traditional romaine or leaf lettuce salad, add different greens, like, the ones mentioned above, or even some untraditional salad greens, like Napa cabbage, watercress, or bok choy. Just be aware that the flavor and bitterness of greens will vary, requiring adjustments to other flavor components, dressings and/or vinaigrettes. No doubt there will be some exciting combinations that result!

Please remember that there are some fruits and vegetables whose accompanying greenery should not be eaten, such as potatoes, rhubarb and taro. Taro leaves are poisonous when eaten raw but can be cooked to remove most of the toxins (for those with kidney and liver ailments, it is generally advised to avoid altogether). Check your local poison control center for additional information. Some accounts note that sweet pea stems are poisonous, as well as sorghum and buckwheat. The best rule of thumb is to avoid eating unless sure of safe consumption!

All in all, this writer is eager to see what turns up next time at the market for another inspirational set of meals! Happy greens eating!

Collie’s death destroyed owner’s appetite for meat

From cleveland.com -

Letter to Dog Lady -

Dear Dog Lady:

OK, this may sound strange but since I put my beloved Sadie, a 13-year-old Border collie, to sleep six weeks ago, I can’t eat meat. It just disgusts me to think of eating a dead animal. I have always been a huge fan of hot dogs and good old Midwestern steaks, but now, I just don’t wanna do it. It’s not like I’m looking at the food and thinking of Sadie (I had her since she was a 10-week-old puppy), it’s just that I realize I would be eating an animal killed for my consumption and I don’t like it.

My problem? I have to explain this to other people who ask me, “Why are you a vegetarian?” My excuse sounds pretty lame. - Denise

The reply -

Dear Denise:

When Sadie passed on, something obviously happened to you, too. All those hot dogs and steaks assumed fur, four legs and faces. You must have experienced a spiritual sea change because it’s not as if you became a vegetarian for health reasons.

Why explain this conversion? You endured a death in the family and whenever there is a traumatic event in our lives, the cataclysm forces us to examine our own existence, our values and beliefs. Sadie’s death pushed you to a different plain. You can’t describe or justify this to anyone; it’s too deep and personal.

So be a veggie, for heavens sakes — a proud veggie chomping on your celery, carrots and tofu. If anyone asks why you’re a vegetarian, tell them: “Because eating green makes me feel clean. Could you please pass the sprouts?” Somewhere, Sadie smiles.

www.askdoglady.com

Original post here -

www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1215592304198170.xml&coll=2

Body odour of Non-vegetarians
by Maneka Gandhi

(Bihar Times) I will not sit at a table with dead bodies or people eating them. By now this is so well known that internal airlines never even ask what meal preference I have and no stranger sitting next to me orders meat . I cannot bear the smell or the look of the meat. I cannot bear the smell of the person who eats it. I am not the only one who believes that vegetarians and non vegetarians have a different smell. The smell of meat oozes through the pores and becomes a rich rancid sweat which fouls the air around it as soon as the temperature rises. I suppose people who do not eat garlic and onions feel the same way about the odour of people who do.

Do vegetarians really smell better ? News from the world of science.Anthropologists in the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Czech Republic. Czech Republic decided in 2006 to study the effects of diet on body odour “ attractiveness”. More specifically, they wanted to find out if women prefer the body odour of men fed a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian diet. The result ? The researchers J Havlicek and P Lenochova found that women judged the body odour of men fed a vegetarian diet to be “significantly more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense”.

This is what their published study précis on Medline says “ Axillary body odor is individually specific and potentially a rich source of information about its producer. Odor individuality partly results from genetic individuality, but the influence of ecological factors such as eating habits are another main source of odor variability. We tested the effect of red meat consumption on body odor attractiveness. Seventeen male odor donors were on “meat” or “nonmeat” diet for 2 weeks wearing axillary pads to collect body odor during the final 24 hours of the diet. Fresh odor samples were assessed for their pleasantness, attractiveness, masculinity, and intensity by 30 women. We repeated the same procedure a month later with the same odor donors, each on the opposite diet than before. Results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the odor of donors when on the nonmeat diet was judged as significantly more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense. This suggests that red meat consumption has a negative impact on perceived body odor.”

After all – if you eat something that you cannot eat raw because it stinks , what do you expect the outcome to be ? While an apple of peas or grain can be directly taken off the plant and eaten , can you wring a chicken’s neck and then bite into it ? If you could then why does meat take so long to cook and so many spices and herbs to hide the taste ? Even the thickest skinned vegetables be eating after simply steaming with no seasoning – can you do the same with meat ?

You are what you eat, in more ways than one. your food affects your body greatly, from the energy you get, to your mood, to the smell your body produces. To test this concept ,eat a piece of raw garlic, wait a few hours and gauge the resulting odors emanating from inside and outside your body.

Moving on to a simple vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian example, heat up your oven to 98.6 degrees and place a tomato and piece of meat on it. Check back in a few hours to compare the rate of decay and the resulting smells. If it smells horrible in the open do you think it will smell less horrible inside your body . After all meat and blood decays very fast wherever it is.

Why does the human not eat non vegetarian animals – not because it is difficult to catch them . For centuries catching, herding and killing has been simple. It is because their meat stinks. The meat of the herbivore is, in comparison, far more edible , smellwise. Even the smell of the pig’s meat , an animal that the pork industry feeds nothing but decaying vegetable matter, tastes better. If the tiger’s meat stinks can you imagine the stench that your flesh emits ?

Informal polls and interviews generally result in the concession that when it comes to body odors, vegetarians usually win out. Across the Net there are thousands of views by people on the link between the smell of the body and food “ My friend has quite strong body odor, but after she became full vegan, the smell has got lighter. At least when I sit next to her, I feel more comfortable” “ The first time I reacted to smell was in a public bus. It was a very hot afternoon, I was in an air-con bus. A man boarded the bus and his body was full of perspiration. He stood next to my seat and raised his hand to hold the hanger of the bus. I nearly fainted from the smell of his body which smelt of mutton. As the smell was really strong, I endured it for only about 3 stops, then got off of the bus and waited for the next one.” “If one is sensitive to smell, it is really difficult for him/her to live with a non vegetarian person. One has to endure the smell from the meat during washing & cooking along with the smell on the person.” “ I’ve preferred vegetarian women for sharing very intimate relations, as their odor and taste tend to be much more appealing. ”

Last year , on the Howard Stern TV talk show, he had a guest who claimed he could always smell the difference between vegetarian women and carnivores. They brought out six or seven women and this guest proceeded to pick out the three vegetarians among them solely by “smelling them.”

The smell that a person has often affects their future. Do you think that someone with an offensive odour would not be shunned at work or even be given the job at any interview. I avoid , as most people do , people who smell strongly – and I have yet to come across a vegetarian who does that, even if they are curry eaters !

if you’re one of those that is still thinking about whether to go vegetarian … Do it because you will smell better. Do it because knowing that will boost your confidence and self-esteem. Do it for someone you love.

Originally posted at - http://bihartimes.com/newsbihar/2008/July/newsbihar08July5.html

At a recent visit to a department store, I noticed green material bags attached to every other plastic bag rack, centered at each of the check-out registers. I thought it was a great idea but wondered how many people really took advantage of it.  The cashier told me that many actually do purchase the bags, which lead me to conduct my own investigation.
 
As a casual observer over my next few visits to places that offered environmentally friendly carry bags, I witnessed only two twenty something year olds with alternative bags in hand. I also observed however, a large number of buyers told the check out person that they forgot their bags at home.  I wondered how many of them were telling the truth and how many really felt awkward about not helping to protect the environment in which they live.
 
The truth is, as if I had to point it out to you, not everyone lives an environmentally conscious existence. Not even all vegans are as passionate about the earth as they are about the animal welfare. Many environmentalists will argue that the two go hand in hand. The following video proves just that- at least, where plastic bags are concerned. Seriously, this is probably one of the most important videos an animal lover can ever watch.
 
I URGE you to view the following video because it is better to make decisions based on the knowledge of hard facts than to make them blinded to what is real.
 
The video may be seen at the following URL:  http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016