Archive for April, 2009

Lets get real about the swine flu

April 27, 2009 at 10:57 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Not only are pigs so darn cute and smart, but they are transmitters of the now infamous swine flu virus. That is just one more thing – like their skin and flesh – best left to the pigs. But you see folks, it’s a packaged deal. If you want to eat their meat, then you get the bad stuff too … just like high cholesterol.

CNN says “Seemingly out of nowhere, the swine flu virus has spread from person to person in Mexico and the United States, triggering global concerns as governments scramble to find ways to prevent further outbreak.”¹ Yet in the same article they say how swine influenza has been known to spread from pigs to humans in the past.

Why are people always so amazed when diseases that affect the foods we eat “suddenly” become a problem for humans? What is so shocking? I think it’s because people believe they are living under some fluffy pink umbrella where the government protects them from harmful foods. Well why don’t we all just stick our heads in the sand a little longer and act like we’re so shocked that this swine flu has come “out of nowhere”.

Are we really in danger of a swine flu epidemic?

Now it’s not time for everybody to get their panties in a bunch … there have only been 12 reported cases of swine flu detected in the United States from 2005 to 2009.² If you are a fairly healthy person, you can probably fight it like the common flu. If you are elderly, immune suppressed, or a child, you may be in greater danger.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is worried that such an “outbreak” of a virus jumping from one species to another could cause havoc for humans. If humans don’t have have the immunity to fight this virus, then it could be devastating.

What is the swine flu virus?

Well obviously pigs (swine) are the primary carriers of the virus. It has been detected in pigs in China, Vietnam and now Mexico. Pigs can also carry the human flu virus which means these things all mesh together in their portly bellies and make for a strain of flu that can easily pass to humans. There are also links between the avian flu virus and this swine flu virus.

Pigs are kept in tight, contaminated areas and people handle them daily – all in an effort to maximize profits not in the best interest of human or pig heath. Clearly the pig handlers are most at risk. Once one person is contaminated, it is transmitted just like the regular flu by sneezing, ingesting germs from something carrying the virus, etc.

The CDC says swine flu symptoms are similar to the regular run-of-the-mill flu symptoms including “fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A few patients have reported that they also suffered from diarrhea and vomiting.”³ It can be treated with anti-viral drugs.

Where’s the logic in all of this?

Here’s what cracks me up the most, CNN tells us … be really scared of this “pandemic outbreak” of swine flu … but, hey … go ahead … keep on eating pork! Have they lost their minds? Now even if a person can’t get swine flu from a cooked piece of pork … couldn’t they make the correlation that the mass production of pigs kept in close quarters contributes to the spread of the disease? If people didn’t eat those pigs, then we wouldn’t produce them and this disease wouldn’t be a problem. Perhaps that’s too politically incorrect for them to mention if say Hormel wants to sponsor their Web site.

My prediction is that if this swine flu becomes a larger problem the powers that be will euthanize all pigs that test positive for swine flu virus. Then they will go about their normal business as if they have eradicated the problem and everyone will go back to living under their fluffy pink umbrella. That is until the next “shocking outbreak” of a food animal virus appears.

Sources:

1. – CNN, accessed 4/27/09, http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/27/swine.flu.qanda/?iref=mpstoryview

2. – CNN, accessed 4/27/09, http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/27/swine.flu.qanda/?iref=mpstoryview

3. – Wikipedia, accessed 4/27/09, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu

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Rethinking fish consumption

April 23, 2009 at 5:19 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Many times when I tell someone that I’m vegan, they say things like “good for you” or “I’m pretty much vegetarian but I eat fish.” I politely correct them and let them know that people who eat fish but not land animals are “pescetarian”. Several people have made this comment to me and so I started to wonder, what exactly is in these fish they are eating? While I choose not to eat fish, I wondered if this was really a healthier lifestyle than that of a true carnivore. So I started to do some research … and, um … you couldn’t get me to ingest fish purely because of the levels of toxins they contain not just because I don’t want them to suffer and die just to fill up my dinner plate.

Our beautiful blue sea is not so clean

Let me explain. In a nutshell, people treat the ocean like a giant garbage dumpster. It is a convenient place to put toxic waste, hazardous materials, and even sewage in some countries. What is out of sight is also out of mind (for most people). This human behavior has infected sea creatures who are trying to do nothing more than just mind their own business! But humans don’t care. They don’t think this behavior effects them. But studies are emerging that show not only is our toxic behavior threatening animals in the ocean, lakes, streams, etc. it is causing big problem in the humans that eat those fish.

Two major chemicals found in fish are dioxins and mercury. Dioxins are chemicals produced by humans in industrial, municipal, and domestic incineration processes. They have also been found in cigarette smoke, home-heating systems, and exhaust from cars running on leaded gasoline or unleaded gasoline, and diesel fuel.

However most human dioxin exposure comes from eating fish.1

Studies have shown that even minimal amounts of exposure to dioxins can decrease sperm count, suppress the immune system, cause birth defects, endometriosis, and learning problems.2 Mercury is a known cardiac toxin meaning that it is very bad for your heart and can cause heart attacks. It is also a know neuro toxin thought to harm child development.

Bendib Cartoons

Bendib Cartoons

So how much of these dioxins and mercury really exist in fish?

The World Health Organization says that a person should not ingest more than one trillionth of a gram of dioxin per day. Just one piece of fish contains way more than that! The Food and Chemical Toxicology journal says that “If someone depends on fish as a healthy alternative to meat, they would exceed the proposed health-based guidelines for industrial contaminant intake.”3

You might hear parents worried about vaccinating their children because vaccines used to contain mercury. I don’t know but some vaccines may still contain mercury. I’m not a mercury-in-vaccines-kind-of expert. However these parents who might be worried, should consider that one serving of tuna (1/2 a can) is equivalent to being injected by 100 vaccines containing mercury.4

Some people may ask, “is wild-caught fish better than factory-farmed fish”? Need I say that farming anything in today’s industrialized structure is typically not healthy for the animals or the  people who eat them. Fish farming is not different. In this particular case, factory-farmed fish have more of the toxins we discussed than wild-caught fish. My analysis is that if wild-caught fish are laden with dioxin and mercury then I sure as heck wouldn’t go near factory farmed fish.

But what about the health benefits?

This is usually the argument I get. Even after people hear about the toxins, they still think that fish contain some magic oils humans need for brain development. Yes, it is true, fish can be a good source of Omega 3 which has proven to help with vision, heighten problem-solving skills and make people smarter. Now who doesn’t want to see better, fix the world’s problems, and get smarter?

We don’t need to eat fish to get these super powers. In fact the risk of toxin exposure in eating fish outweighs that of not eating fish. When eating to live well, why accept any risk at all? By getting Omega 3 from plant sources we can get the nutrients we need without the risk. Fish get their Omega 3 from plants and we can too.

Foods that contain appreciable amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the vegetarian omega-3:

  • Canola oil
  • English walnuts
  • Flax oil*
  • Flax seed (ground)*
  • Hemp beverages (hemp “milk”)
  • Hemp oil*
  • Hemp seed / hemp nut (ground)*
  • Olive oil
  • Leafy green vegetables (small amounts, but a good omega-3 to omega-6 ratio)
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Soybeans
  • Soybean oil
  • Supplements

*highest sources5

Personally I choose to take algae-derived DHA every day and I sprinkle some flax seed in between Earth Balance and sugar-free jam on my English muffin in the morning. Mmmmm, good!

What does all this mean?

People who don’t eat animals have very low levels of industrial toxins in their blood. From the day you decide not to eat fish, the numbers of toxins in your body will begin to fall. That is something good for you, the fish, and the ocean. Um, and if you’re wondering, yes, fish are animals. They have vertebrae, circulatory systems, and a brain. They are clearly not plants or single celled organisms. So let them go about their merry business. We don’t need to eat them and I’m sure as heck they don’t appreciate us eating them!

Notes:

1. Dr. Michael Greger, Latest in Clinical Nutrition 2008, www.drgreger.org

2. About Digest on Dioxins (not cited but used as reference), http://www.greenfacts.org/en/dioxins/about-dioxins.htm#1B

3. Food and Chemical Toxicology 45 (2007) pages 2279-2286.

4. Dr. Michael Greger, Latest in Clinical Nutrition 2008, www.drgreger.org

5. Vegetarian Omega-3 Sources: The Best Fish-Free Fatty Acids – www.vegetariancuisine.suite101.com

6. Scientific Facts on Dioxins (not cited but used as reference), http://www.greenfacts.org/en/dioxins/l-2/dioxins-1.htm

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An Inspiring Friend and A Movie to See

April 21, 2009 at 4:39 pm · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , ,

An Inspiring Friend

Nearly every day I seem to be inspired by people. I know that’s so contrary to how the media wants us to feel. The media wants us to stay in our houses, be scared of people, and buy stuff to make ourselves feel better. I really think people are starting to stand up and say “enough”!

Last week I was so incredibly inspired by my dear friend Mireille. You see Mireille and I have differing views on many things including religion and animals. Mireille is not what I would call an animal lover in the same way that I am. She has a dog and a cat. She likes them and provides them with food, water, shelter, etc. I on the other hand spend much of my time advocating for animal rights, helping stray animals, and volunteering at local rescues. You get the idea.

One thing Mireille loves to do is watch documentaries. So I told her about Earthlings and I warned her of its graphic nature but she rose to the occasion out of her love for honest film. She watched the entire thing (I still have not gone past part 4) and in just a few hours completely changed her perspective on food animals. She said “enough” of this horrible treatment of animals and decided to go vegetarian. I was so surprised, I thought surely it would not last more than a day or two. But I was wrong. And I could not be happier! Mireille has now been vegetarian for two weeks! I am so excited and proud of her. We had a nutrition discussion and I introduced her to some new foods. Now she is on her way to a healthier, more compassionate lifestyle.

A Move to See

Food, Inc.

Food, Inc.

There’s another film coming out in June called Food, Inc. It is more in keeping with Fast Food Nation and Super Size Me than with Earthlings but inspiring nevertheless. I am so excited to see it because I love these films that don’t necessarily promote a vegan lifestyle but their depiction of the food industry leaves you thinking it is the best way to live. Here’s the movie description. I hope you go see it and we can talk about its influence over people’s eating habits.

“In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. Food, Inc. reveals surprising — and often shocking truths — about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.”

Just for Kicks (an education too)

Another inspiring person in my life is Kari. She’s the Arizona director for the United States Humane Society. This week she enlightened me with this great (not horribly graphic) app from Animal Visuals that shows the rate at which animals are slaughtered in the United States every second. It is staggering to watch as the animals fly by: 287 chickens per second, 3.68 pigs per second, and 1.12 cows per second. It just boggles my mind.

Rate of Slaughter of Chickens, Pigs, and Cows in the United States, 2008

Rate of Slaughter of Chickens, Pigs, and Cows in the United States, 2008

I hope this post about my inspiring friends and movie makers inspires you to go out and make a difference in the lives of animals today. I know that’s a lot of inspiring … but would you rather talk about taxes? No thanks. :)

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Vegetarian Children: Healthy of Hazardous?

April 10, 2009 at 3:55 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

This article “Vegetarian children: Healthy or hazardous?” ran in my local paper, the SanTan Sun News this week. I felt compelled to write the reporter. This is the first time for as long as I can remember that I felt the need to comment on an article. While the nutritionist was “ok” with vegetarian kids she made it seem as though vegan kids would die from lack of protein. In my response, I challenged the reporter to consider interviewing two sources instead of just one for articles of this type because just as you can find a nutritionist that says veganism is “bad” for kids, you could find one that says it is “good” for kids. If you’d like to share your thoughts, the reporter, Miriam Van Scott, can be reached at miriam@santansun.com.

This is the article:

See page 36-37

see page 36-37

see page 36-37

This is my response:

Hi Miriam,

First I want to thank you for writing the article “Vegetarian children: Healthy of hazardous?” in the San Tan Sun. As a long time vegetarian, I was at first happy to see that the article was placed in such a prominent location. I read it carefully and I do have some feedback for you. First of all, I am surprised that you interviewed and quoted only one source. As you know there are always two sides to every story. Perhaps you could have consulted Dr. Michael Greger, www.drgreger.org, a physician and nutritional expert on veganism. He would have a different perspective than that of Amy Hall.

While I agree with some of the things Hall had to say, I think she was incorrect about some as well. The article made it seem as though vegan diets are unhealthy for children. In fact, the health benefits outweigh those of a meat-based diet.

Did you know that eggs cause a food poising epidemic every year affecting 100,000 Americans annually. Additionally eating just one egg a day can shorten a person’s lifespan according to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. When it comes to products made from cow’s milk, the number one source of artery-clogging saturated fat is dairy. It is also one of the top allergens in the United States. The calcium in dark green leafy veggies is absorbed twice as well as that of milk.

Shall we talk about meat? Did you know that chicken contains alarming levels of arsenic. A bucket of chicken from a typical fast food restaurant would be expected to have as much as almost 50 times the amount of arsenic allowed in a glass of water according to a report by the National Institute of Health and the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service. I need not mention the horrible cruelty endured by animals used for food production.

While Hall suggested that chicken has greater levels of protein that non-animal-derived products, clearly it also comes with greater levels of hazardous chemicals and cruelty. There are many vegan protein sources other than beans that do not have these unwanted “additions” including soy, nuts, tempeh, seitan, quinoa and brown rice.

I do agree with Hall that any diet – not just a vegetarian or vegan diet – should be monitored to ensure that children are receiving proper nutrition. Please keep in mind that American children are riddled with obesity, diabetes and also experience B-12 deficiency despite or as a result of eating meat. A vegan diet can be nutritionally sound provided that it is well balanced and that the child or adult eats a wide variety of non-animal derived foods.

Thank you,
–
Josephine Morris

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Shearing My Winter Coat

April 4, 2009 at 3:30 am · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , , , ,

Obviously I don’t have a wool coat in the same way that sheep have a wool coat but before today I did have a number of wool sweaters. I know, I know. You’re asking ….”why do you have wool sweaters if you’re vegan?”

A farm sanctuary lamb rescued.

A farm sanctuary lamb rescued.

My vegan life began a little over a year ago when I heard Gene Baur speak about Farm Sanctuary. After that talk, I went home and decided not to eat any animal products after finishing the ones that remained in my pantry and my refrigerator. It didn’t take long to eat the little dairy I had in the fridge but it did take me a couple months to finish all the cookies and other dried pantry products that had dairy or eggs in them. Since then I have not purposefully consumed food that comes from an animal in any way.

I guess I looked at my closet in the same light. Just as I didn’t feel that it was right to throw away a block of cheese the day I decided to become vegan (because that would mean the cow had suffered for nothing) I did not feel right about throwing away my wool and leather clothes. So I continued to wear the ones I had and consciously made a decision not to buy any new clothes made of animal products. But I think the time has come for me to take one greater step into this vegan world free from animal torture. It helps that it’s spring and in Arizona that means we are living in beautiful, balmy 70-to-80-degree temperatures! I will have no need for wool or leather for several months … or in fact a lifetime. I have a case of spring fever and one of spring fever’s symptoms is a urgent desire to clean out every closet in the house!

Early this week I decided to medicate my spring fever by attacking my closet. It is big and packed to the brim. Cleaning it out is not a task to be taken lightly. Clearly parting with clothes is difficult to me. I don’t know why. I attach memories and emotions to my clothes. In my 20s I traveled to many parts of the world. In each place I stopped, I bought a local souvenir, usually some clothing like Alpaca sweaters from Cusco, Peru. Those sweaters remind me of the people in Peru, the good times I spent with my friends, and living in a naive world not knowing the suffering of animals used for clothing. Things were less complicated then.

A sheep after mulesing.

A sheep after mulesing.

That’s the thing about opening your eyes to animal cruelty. You can never go back. You can never not know that most sheep used for wool have their tails docked and their balls chopped off without anesthesia. You can never not know that sheep undergo mulesing, a painful process where the “shepherd” cuts a four by six-inch piece of skin from their tails and backside. You can never not know that sheep used for wool eventually don’t produce enough and end up in the slaughterhouse just like ever other animal used for human consumption. For these reasons I can no longer look at my wool sweaters without seeing beautiful sheep that have suffered for my warmth and frivolous fashion desires. It is time for me to let them go.

So I am. They are all packed up in paper bags to be donated to a charity. I hope that someone else finds use for them because they are still valuable. While I feel that I am taking a giant leap forward by shearing my winter coat of wool, I can’t help but feel slightly sad as if I’m sending some sheep off to slaughter one more time beause they are of no use to me. And yet I know that’s not true. What matters more is that I am now committed to living the rest of my life as a smarter consumer who chooses clothing that has nothing to do with animal suffering.

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