November 2005

GREETINGS

So now that it’s definite that we are holding our PreThanksgiving Feast, it is time to send in your registration! There are now only three! weeks before the Feast itself, and we need registrations in hand some days before that, so if you’re planning to join us, register now. (If not now, when??) For which purpose I am including a flyer/ registration form with this newsletter; the few of you who have registered already might give it to a friend.

While you’re at it, please be aware that we turn out to need just a few more volunteers to help the Feast go smoothly. We could really use one more person to help set up from 3:30 to 5 PM, and one more person in the kitchen from 4:30 to 6:30; one additional volunteer for clean up and another dishwasher would also be really helpful. Speaking as someone who always volunteers at this event, it’s really a great deal of fun, and volunteers are always given a special ticket that allows you to go through the line at your discretion rather than waiting for a color to be called. Call Jody at (414) 764-7262 to join the sport.

Other veg-friendly events

M.A.R.V. ACTIVITIES

Sunday, Nov. 6, 5 PM, regular potluck at the Friends’ Meeting House, 3324 N. Gordon Pl. in Riverwest (from Humboldt Blvd. go east on Auer a few short blocks to the parking lot). Theme will be games.

Sunday, Nov. 20, PreThanksgiving Feast, 5 PM, Unity Evangelical Church, 1025 E. Oklahoma. Register! Come!

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“Good eating habits play a critical role in preventing and treating many chronic diseases, but are hospitals doing their part by serving healthy vegan foods in their cafeterias and restaurants?”

NEWS

Animal foods are still bad for you. Wisconsin State Farmer ran an article complaining about the continuing Japanese boycott of U.S. beef, though vegetarians understand completely the Japanese reluctance to risk mad cow disease. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ran an article about the general lack of deer movement out of the areas of our state where the deer are being heavily hunted in an effort to control chronic wasting disease (the deer version of the same illness). Perhaps many of those deer are affected enough not to be normally mobile? Or maybe they’re just not very bright? On a different note, Russia and Norway were reported to be in a dispute over who was fishing in whose waters. And PCRM reported that while all grilled meats are likely to contain cancer-producing heterocyclic amines, chicken seems to be the worst. Their most recent Good Medicine publication also reported that according to a British study, drinking milk contributes to the risk for both type 2 diabetes and heart disease, while a meta-analysis of 21 studies found a correlation between dairy products and ovarian cancer risk.

Finally, so mainstream a publication as Prevention is now issuing warnings about the Atkins diet, stating that while it does seem to reduce weight and even lower cholesterol in the short term, a recent study found it was also raising blood levels of C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation which may contribute to heart disease down the road.

On the other hand, vegetarian foods continue to be good for you. The same issue of Good Medicine reported on a study which found that consuming soy protein as a regular part of one’s diet helped lower blood pressure, and ran a whole article on a new Swedish study which found that vegans weigh less than omnivores. This seems to be part of a whole different pattern of eating, since in the 50,000 women studied, the omnivores not only consumed more saturated fat, but also more refined grains and less fruits, vegetables, and fiber than the vegans. In another study by PCRM itself, overweight women were randomly assorted into low-fat vegan diet or conventional weight-loss diet, and the vegans lost nearly twice as much weight as the control group – even though they were given no limits on how much they could eat; in fact, those who ate the most carbohydrates lost the most pounds. It is theorized that part of the reason for their success was that their foods were naturally filling so that they could eat fewer calories without feeling hungry, but also that the vegan diet improved insulin sensitivity and thus created a bigger after-meal burn.

Several magazines have been singing the praises of seasonal produce lately. Organic Gardening and Delicious Living both reminded us that red grapes (and red wine) contain phytochemicals, including but not ending with resveratrol, that help heart health but also help fight against cancer. And Delicious Living also featured Brussels sprouts as a seasonal vege-table; it is likely to be freshest when bought on the stalk, can be easily and briefly boiled or steamed, and is loaded with vitamin C and phytonutrients known to reduce cancer risk.

In addition, the Outpost Exchange featured winter squash, a native American crop known to have been cultivated as far back as 3000 BC. While summer squashes are harvested earlier in the growing season, winter squashes are the ones that are harvested in late Fall and can be kept for months in proper conditions – and generally have the bright orange flesh that signals high levels of beta-carotene. In fact, a one-cup serving can provide 73% of your daily vitamin A need, 17% of vitamin C, 13% of your potassium, and 5.7 grams of fiber, in only 70 calories. The easiest way to cook the things is to cut them in half, scrape out the seeds and pulp, and place them cut-side-down on a pan in a 400 degree oven until soft (35 to 45 minutes for small ones, longer for heavier ones like pumpkin and butternut). You can eat them baked, or stuff them and reheat skin side down to warm the stuffing, or puree the flesh for mashed squash or squash soup.

Other good vegetable food news includes the discovery, reported recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine, that a raw food diet does not raise the risk of osteoporosis: even though the raw foodists in the study tended to be thinner than average and have lower bone density, their bone turnover rates were normal and they had no greater fracture risk than others. In their usual dairy-boosting fashion, Prevention reported on a study which found that eating dairy helped reduce PMS – but when you look at the details, it was the calcium and vitamin D (for which there are of course non-dairy sources) that was doing the trick. Vitamin D may also help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes; think supplemented soymilk and time in the sun if you don’t do dairy. A little hot pepper in tomato juice seems to help reduce one’s appetite and thus serve as a diet aid if taken half an hour before a meal. Seasonal cranberries are actually nutritious as well as a Thanksgiving tradition: they have polyphenols which may help one’s arteries to be more stretchy. Other polyphenol sources include chocolate, strawberries, pomegranates, and black and green teas.

On a different note, Prevention reported that sexual dysfunction in women was found to be related to metabolic syndrome which can im-pair the cardiovascular system; their recommendation was a calorie-controlled and low cholesterol diet with plenty of fruits, fiber, and vegetables (which sounds suspiciously vegetarian, though the article did not mention this.)

Meanwhile, magnesium in the diet can help prevent inflammation of the sort that can lead to heart disease; magnesium-rich foods include soy, beans, seeds, whole grains, bananas, dried apricots, avocados, and dark green leafy vegetables. A similar set of foods are good sources of vitamin B6, which seems to be helpful in protecting DNA from tumor-causing damage and thus in preventing some cancers. Beans, bananas, and broccoli were mentioned as good sources.

CONNECTIONS

As of October 15, the new Milwaukee Public Market will be a year-round venue for buying all sorts of nifty foodstuffs. It will actually feature a complete mix of products for all kinds of cuisine, including free-range and organic poultry, for example, but also offering organic vegetables and fruits from Fields’ Best, natural grains, rice, dried fruits and legumes from Oskri Organics, and so on. It is in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, on the corner of Water St. and St. Paul Ave., and there is adjacent free parking.

DIALOG

The recent PCRM article on the subject of hospital food, and my own recent experience, have brought my attention to this issue.

In my own case, I knew going in that it would be hopeless to expect a hospital kitchen to supply me with my usual whole foods, organic vegetarian diet – they might have been able to figure out vegetarian, with a little help, but the rest would be completely beyond them. I arranged ahead of time to have Chuck bring me food in accordance with the type of diet they would have me on (typically after surgery they move one from clear liquids on to thick liquids and then soft foods; I went home before we got to normal diet). The kitchen was commendably concerned that I was not taking trays from them at all. But it does make one wonder about the average hospital patient’s nutrition: just when one needs super nutrition most, to heal from illness or injury, the Standard American Diet seems to prevail.