December 2020
Marin VEG
This week I saw new, green grass growing on the sides of a trail
after just the little bit of rain we had in November. New grass
would indicate spring in other places, but our trees are turning to
magnificent colors and our mornings bring frost. So, while the days
don't seem to change much from one to the next in this challenging
year, the seasons remind me that indeed, time is moving forward at
its usual pace. The days will start getting longer in less than
three weeks, which I find both surprising and reassuring. Whatever
and however you celebrate this time of change, I wish you ease, good
health, and a long gratitude list.
Vegans and Bone Health
A new study from the UK reports that vegans have a higher risk
for bone fractures than non-vegans. News of this study showed up in
many publications in November, and here is just one article:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20201123/vegan-diets-tied-to-higher-bone-fracture-risk#1
I wanted to understand it as best I could, so I consulted my most
trustworthy source for nutrition advice, Virginia Messina. Ginny is
a longtime, vegan registered dietician who also has a masters
degree in public health, and is my co-author on two books. (https://www.theveganrd.com/about/).
Here's what she says. (I'm adding peanut butter to my breakfast
now.)
https://www.theveganrd.com/2020/11/vegans-and-bone-fractures-new-findings-and-best-practices-for-keeping-bones-strong/
Holiday Gift Giving
A Well Fed World
At this time of year Heifer International encourages people to
buy goats and other animals as gifts to impoverished families around
the world. As this short essay from Peta explains, giving animals
as gifts is not a good idea. It's bad for the humans, the animals,
and the earth. https://www.peta.org/blog/live-animal-donations-are-not-gifts-boycott-heifer-international/
On the other hand, A Well Fed World is a well respected,
international hunger relief and food security organization advancing
plant-based foods and farming to create a safe, nourished, and
climate-friendly future. I encourage you to explore their entire
website to see how effective and humane their many programs are.
Plants-4-Hunger is their direct response to Heifer, but every one of
their initiatives is worth supporting. https://awellfedworld.org/
You can give in honor of or in tribute to anyone on your list,
and the recipient will receive a note explaining your gift. Save
wrapping paper, promote kindness, educate your loved ones, feed
hungry children, and feel good about your holiday giving.
Other Not For Profits to Support
I also love and support these organizations whose work promotes
veganism (animals, people, our planet). These groups do not garner
as much media attention nor have the large budgets of better known
institutions. This year, with events postponed and donations
reduced, your gift is especially valuable. Read more about the good
work from these good institutions and follow your heart.
FishFeel.org
FoodIsPower.org (Food Empowerment Project)
FFACoalition.org (Factory Farming Awareness Coalition; see
their website for special event this Thursday)
https://compassionate-living.org/author/hope/
(Compassionate Living)
https://upc-online.org/
(United Poultry Concerns)
https://thepollinationproject.org/
There are also dozens of wonderful, small animal sanctuaries to
support, including Rancho Compasion (https://www.ranchocompasion.org/),
Goatlandia (goatlandia.org) and Animal Place (http://animalplace.org/)
Archer Daniels Midland Developing Vegan Turkey
VegNews reports that ADM is developing vegan turkey lunch meat.
I'd heard their name over the years, but wasn't sure what that
company did. Here's what I learned.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=archer+daniel+midland
https://www.adm.com/products-services/food/proteins
https://vegnews.com/2020/11/major-agribusiness-giant-is-developing-vegan-turkey-lunch-meat
New Book from VegNews
Jasmin Singer and VegNews Magazine just published a new book
called The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan: Look Good, Feel
Good & Do Good in 30 Days. Available in audio or paperback
wherever books are sold. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53019092-the-vegnews-guide-to-being-a-fabulous-vegan
A Poem that Touched Me
Grace
Thanks
& blessings be
to the Sun & the Earth
for this bread & this
wine,
this fruit, this meat, this
salt,
this food;
thanks be & blessing to
them
who prepare it, who serve
it;
thanks & blessings to
them
who share it
(& also the absent &
the dead).
Thanks & Blessing to
them who bring it
(may they not want),
to them who plant & tend
it,
harvest & gather it
(may they not want);
thanks & blessing to
them who work
& blessing to them who
cannot;
may they not want - for
their hunger
sours the wine & robs
the taste from the salt.
Thanks be for the sustenance
& strength
for our dance & work of
justice, of peace.
~
Rafael Jesus Gonzalez ~
The Word "Meat"
If the word "meat" surprised you in that poem, you may want
to listen to this 18 minute episode about the history of the word
"meat" from Colleen Patrick Goudreau's excellent podcast
An-i-mal-o-gy. I learned a lot here
https://youtu.be/nbc7DqnclQc
Peace on Earth
As is my tradition, I like to share this short essay every
year. I look forward to a time when it is no longer relevant, but
we're not there yet.
Peace on Earth
Isn’t man an
amazing Animal? He kills wildlife—birds, kangaroos, deer, all
kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice, foxes, and
dingoes—by the million in order to protect his domestic animals
and their feed.
Then he kills domestic
animals by the billion and eats them. This in turn kills man by
the million, because eating all those animals leads to
degenerative—and fatal—health conditions like heart disease,
kidney disease, and cancer.
So then man
tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for
these diseases.
Elsewhere,
millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and
malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten
domestic animals.
Meanwhile, some
people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who
kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out
cards praying for “Peace on Earth.”
from Old
MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coats
*********************************************************************************
This e-newsletter from The Marin
Vegetarian Education Group is free. Please share it freely.
Past newsletters can be found at
MarinVeg.org
To subscribe, send an email to
eatplants@gmail.com
with the word Newsletter in the subject line.
To unsubscribe, send an email to eatplants@gmail.com
with the word Unsubscribe in the subject line.