Tonight I received email from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (It's not that I'm special, I'm on their mailing list).

It's worthy of sharing, so here's the email in it's entirety.

Foodborne Infection Originates in Meat and Poultry

Ninety-seven percent of human disease from the pathogenic bacterium C. jejuni originates in animals farmed for meat and poultry, according to a study by researchers at Lancaster University, Lancaster, U.K. Researchers analyzed DNA from 1,231 cases of C. jejuni infections in Lancashire, England. Only 3 percent of cases were traced back to environmental contamination or wild animal sources, while 97 percent of cases were traced back to farm-raised chickens, cattle, and sheep. These results implicate livestock as the primary transmission route for the leading cause of gastroenteritis in the developed world, which is thought to infect 2 to 3 million people per year in the U.S. alone.

Wilson DJ, Gabriel E, Leatherbarrow AJ, et al. Tracing the source of campylobacteriosis. PLoS Genet. September 26, 2008;4(9):e1000203.

Wow. Let's repeat that... These results implicate livestock as the primary transmission route for the leading cause of gastroenteritis in the developed world, which is thought to infect 2 to 3 million people per year in the U.S. alone.

Sounds to me like another really good reason to give up eating meat!

Polly want a ___? This month's Daring Bakers challenge was a recipe for crackers... and it was a vegan recipe to boot! Our hosts, Natalie of Gluten A Go Go, and Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl, dared us to bake the recipe for Lavash Crackers from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and to create whatever vegan spreads we found interesting. My first reaction was, "YAY!!! A savory challenge!" Then I thought, "crackers? you can actually make crackers?" Who knew?

I know that some of you have probably made crackers before, but I've never done that. Actually, I'd never even thought that you could make crackers (they're fairly straightforward). I know, d'uh. So, even though it was an "easy" recipe, it was a challenge for me... and another one I'll make again. Natalie and Shel also suggested options for making these crackers gluten free. It was my intent to try this as well, but you know how things go... So, at the last minute, I made the crackers using a mix of all purpose and wheat flours.

Lane and I were not disappointed. In fact, the crackers were so delicious, we wound up eating the entire tray ourselves. The recipe doesn't indicate how many servings... but I would definitely double it for company. Also, I rolled the dough a bit unevenly (intentionally). I was curious to which crackers tasted better - thinner versus thicker. We both preferred the thinner version. As for spices, I used salt across the entire cracker dough, and then added poppy seeds to ¼ of the tray, rosemary and garlic to ¼, and cumin to ¼. We didn't notice much difference... so next time, I'll probably just stick with the salt.

The salsa recipe, recommended by Natalie and Shel was amazing. It was a honeydew-peach salsa. I used a crenshaw melon and white nectarines instead because that's what I had at home. I've never been inclined to make a fruit salsa before. I've had them and enjoyed them, but they're not quite my cup of tea. This recipe has changed my mind.

So, overall, a very happy challenge for me.... The recipes are below if you'd like to try them. And many thanks to Natalie and Shel for a fun and yummy challenge.

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Lavash Cracker Recipe:

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

* 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
* 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
* 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
* 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
* Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed. (I needed all the water.)
2. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-if-Bre … ong-Enough for a discription of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).
4. Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. (Next time I'll roll mine out even larger... we liked the thinner crackers much better.) You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment (I used my Matfer Exopat 11-5/8-by-16-3/8-Inch Nonstick Baking Mat, which is perhaps one of the best baking tools I own!). Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).
7. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

The Salsa recipe was a Honeydew - Peach Salsa from The Splended Table.

* juice of 1 lime
* 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
* 1 Red Fresno and 1 Hot Yellow minced chile (seeds removed)
* 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar,
* 1/2 ripe sweet honeydew melon, cubed into bite-sized pieces
* 4 small, ripe peaches, peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
* salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/3 cup minced fresh coriander, or coriander and mint combined

In a medium bowl blend the lime juice, garlic, onion and chilies. Let stand 20 minutes, then blend in sugar and fruits with salt (a generous pinch) and pepper (to make piquant) to taste. Refrigerate up to 3 hours. Fold in fresh herbs just before serving.

Part of my daily commute runs through South Central Los Angeles.  Those of you who don't know L.A. well, may know South Central because of the Rodney King Riots in the 90s.  The prevailing opinion is that it is a dangerous neighborhood, but in truth, its reputation is far worse than the reality.  It is not an affluent neighborhood, however.  As I travel on the main roads, I don't really know what the rest of the neighborhood is like.  But I don't see many healthy food options in my travels.  I pass three McDonalds every day.  They're all in South Central.  The other food options are a Popeye's Chicken, Burger King, Jack in the Box, and several "you buy, we fry" fish places (they might actually offer the healthiest options).  When I lived in New York, my experiences were similar in the less affluent neighborhoods I frequented.  I don't know if it's a universal truth, but I equate poorer neighborhoods with poorer food options.

It seems I'm not the only one to make that leap of logic.  Heather Mills, one of the ex-Mrs. McCarthy's, is donating $1 million to provide vegan food to the poor of Hunt's Point, (Bronx) NY.  On September 20, Ms. Mills provided meatless barbeque for 1,000 families living below the poverty level.  The barbeque was hosted by the Hunts Point Alliance for Children, which has named Ms. Mills their honorary chairperson.

Mills hopes to bring vegetarian food to the masses, starting with underprivileged communities like this one, where nutritious food is hard to come by. She is working on a faux-meat line with Gardein, the veggie protein provider for Morning Star Farms, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods, to create everything from veggie chicken breasts (which were also on offer at the barbecue) to vegan-friendly shrimp. “I want to create the largest plant-based food chain in the world,” she explains. (Mills herself is vegan, for health and animal-rights reasons. “Veggie isn’t enough,” she says.)

-- Source: Gourmet

It will be interesting to see what happens in the Bronx over the next three years.  In any event, I think this is a much better way to get the message across than PETA's request for Ben & Jerry's to use breast milk instead of cows milk!

Sources:

• The Telegraph
• Gourmet
• Heather Mills Site

I must confess, I don't watch MTV... I'm not the target demographic.  But I do visit the Compassion Over Killing website occasionally and noticed that they are starting up their MTV advertising campaign again. They've been running pro-vegetarian commercials since 2004. Personally, this year's ad isn't my favorite, but I applaud their efforts.  It will certainly wake up a few people to the horrors of meat production, and they're targeting the right audience.

If you're new to veganism, or considering it and haven't seen the Earthlings documentary, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, we highly recommend it.  Out of all the things we've read and seen, that documentary is the reason Jane and I can never consider going back to eating meat.

When you transition to a vegan diet, non-vegans will always question where you're going to get your protein and calcium.  Those who are slightly more informed about nutrition will often caution you that you will become vitamin B-12 deficient, since the best sources of vitamin B-12 are liver, milk, and fish.

Well, there may be a real reason to be concerned, at least with regard to B-12.  Data from a small study at Oxford shows that people with lower levels of B-12 in their blood suffered from brain shrinkage six times more often than those with high levels of B-12. (Note: none of the 107 people in the study were actually B-12 deficient.)  Okay, so your brain is a little smaller, since we only use around 10% of our brains anyway, this shouldn't be a big deal, right?  Apparently not.  Shrinkage is usually associated with the development of dementia.  That's scary!  Since vegetarians, and vegans especially, don't consume liver, milk, or fish, we're at an increased risk of suffering from brain shrinkage.  See BBC News Health, and the University of Oxford's press release on B-12.

Why else is vitamin B-12 important?

In the body, B-12 helps the bone marrow regenerate red blood cells and has been credited with protection against heart disease and mental deterioration. Adequate B-12 in the diet is necessary to keep down levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine is a toxic amino acid produced in the breakdown of animal protein and has been identified as a risk factor for arterial disease and heart attack.

In children, B-12 deficiency can cause severe abnormalities of growth and mental retardation. In adults it causes pernicious anemia, a dangerous condition marked by weakness, apathy, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, fatigue, numbness in the arms and legs, loss of balance, and mental changes, all reversible if B-12 is supplied. Untreated, the symptoms can become permanent.

Source:  Dr. Weil.com - Vitamin B-12 Shots

So how do we, as vegans, ensure that we get adequate vitamin B-12?  There's B-12 in nutritional yeast (make sure to read the label), fortified soy milk, fortified cereals, and vitamins.

Fermented soya products, seaweeds and algae have all been proposed as possible sources of B12. However, analysis of fermented soya products, including tempeh, miso, shoyu and tamari, found no significant B12.

Spirulina, an algae available as a dietary supplement in tablet form, and nori, a seaweed, have both appeared to contain significant amounts of B12 after analysis. However, it is thought that this is due to the presence of compounds structurally similar to B12, known as B12 analogues. These cannot be utilised to satisfy dietary needs. Assay methods used to detect B12 are unable to differentiate between B12 and it's analogues, Analysis of possible B12 sources may give false positive results due to the presence of these analogues.

Researchers have suggested that supposed B12 supplements such as spirulina may in fact increase the risk of B12 deficiency disease, as the B12 analogues can compete with B12 and inhibit metabolism.

The current nutritional consensus is that no plant foods can be relied on as a safe source of vitamin B12.

Source:  The Vegetarian Society

So it looks like we have to ensure that we supplement our diets with B-12.  Here are two slightly different recommendations on supplementation:

Vitamin B12: Although this is found naturally only in foods from animal sources, you can get sufficient amounts from fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverages and some types of brewer's yeast. Still, I recommend taking a supplement of 50-100 micrograms of B12 in the form of a good multivitamin, sublingual tablet, nasal spray or gel.

Source:  Dr. Weil.com on Becoming Vegan

Vegans who choose to use a vitamin B12 supplement, either as a single supplement or in a multivitamin should use supplements regularly. Even though a supplement may contain many times the recommended level of vitamin B12, when vitamin B12 intake is high, not as much appears to be absorbed. This means in order to meet your needs, you should take a daily vitamin B12 supplement of 5-10 micrograms or a weekly vitamin B12 supplement of 2000 micrograms (4).

Source:  Vegetarian Resource Group

Note: there is no tolerable upper intake level for vitamin B-12 because of its low toxicity.  There have been no toxic or adverse effects associated with large intakes of vitamin B-12 from food or supplements in healthy people.

Anyway, this is definitely something to take seriously.  We'll be keeping our eyes open for additional research on vegan/vegetarian B-12 issues.  In the meantime here are some links to help keep you informed on sources of B-12 in the vegan diet.

• Vegan Health -- Sources of B-12 in the Vegan Diet
• Vegetarian Resource Group -- Vitamin B-12 in the Vegan Diet
• Wikipedia - Vitamin B-12
• Vegetarian Society - B-12 Information Sheet
• Linus Pauling Institute - Micronutrient Information Center - B-12