Blueberries are one of the 8 things you should eat every day.  The reason being, that they are loaded with antioxidants.  Blueberries also help protect eyesight, promote gastrointestinal health, reduce your risk of colon and ovarian cancer, promote healthy bowel movements, and slow the onset of age-related dementias.  And that's why I put blueberries in my breakfast smoothie.  Unfortunately, Jane doesn't eat blueberries with much regularity.  She prefers them fresh, and we have about a 4-week window in August when they're available to us.  That is, available at a price we can afford.

It looks like scientists are getting close to turning on the genes that will allow tomatoes to have the same health benefits as blueberries.

The purple pigments are potent antioxidants called anthocyanins that mop up the free-radicals that cause cancer and heart disease. Anthocyanins naturally occur in blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants, but natural tomatoes only contain negligible amounts of the compounds.

Tomato plants have all the necessary genes to create the pigments, but they are normally dormant, so the team inserted two additional genes from the snapdragon flower that trigger these genes to become active.

Source:  New Scientist Magazine -- Purple Tomatoes Could Ward Off Cancer

Of course, this is all still in the early stages.  Toxicology studies need to be performed to ensure that the "enriched" tomatoes aren't hiding negative effects as well.  There is also the question of how this pigment might affect taste.

See World's Healthiest Foods -- Blueberries for more information on the health benefits of blueberries.

So I finally had vegan sushi.  Sushi/sashimi, the non-vegan version, was something that Jane and I adored.  And we knew, that like with pizza, we wouldn't find the vegan versions nearly as satisfying.  So we've avoided the stuff.  On our last trip to Shojin (our favorite vegan restaurant), we had the caterpillar roll, and a mushroom sushi roll.  Oh  My  God!!!  It was heaven.  Honestly.  I know that people are always saying how good vegan sushi is, but really folks, if you're in Los Angeles, head on over to Shojin and order the caterpillar roll, you won't be sorry.

I should have a picture for this post because not only was it amazingly good but it was beautiful too.

Shojin

Hours:
Tuesday thru Thursday, Sunday
11:30am - 10:00pm

Friday, Saturday
11:30am - 11:00pm

Address
333 S. Alameda St. Suite 310
(Little Tokyo Shopping Center 3F)
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tel: 213-617-0305

I know I'm pushing this place, but you're not going to find it unless you look for it, and it's worth looking for!

So I had the flu, or something like it.  It's ironic, because they're offering the flu shot at my office this week.  Alas, it's a little too late for me. So, here is my tale of woe.  I dropped Jane off at the airport on Friday night.  She was taking a weekend trip to San Francisco to visit a few of her girlfriends.  As usual, my wonderful wife prepared food for me; first there were the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, then there was a monster batch of Jane's hummus, and a pot of home-made miso mushroom soup.  We also had loads of fresh veggies and salad fixins in the house, so I was good to go.  That is, until I got home from the airport.  I'd been sneezing a bit during the day, but I have allergies, so I figured something was irritating me.  By the time I got through the door Friday night, I already knew better.

And by Saturday morning, I could barely drag my butt out of bed, never mind getting myself into the kitchen to "prepare" food.  I don't really remember much about those next few days, except for alternating between the bed and the couch.  And eating apples and pretzels.  As a side note, the apples were amazing.  We found a new variety, Sonya, which is a cross between Red Delicious and Gala apples.  If your grocery store carries them, you should give one a try.  They are probably our new favorite.

I followed Jane's orders and drank a ton of water, both hot and room temperature.  Unfortunately, the soup didn't quite agree with my stomach.  I also steamed myself in the shower a number of times to open up my lungs.  It helped.  But I was sick!  I knew I had an intermittent fever on Sunday, but I didn't really think much of it.  When I finally dug out the thermometer I had a fever of 102.5  I considered going to the doctor on Monday, but I couldn't really focus and didn't think getting in the car would be a good idea.  I took an aspirin and went to sleep.  My fever broke  just before Jane came home.  Tuesday wasn't awful, but today is really the first day I actually feel good

Anyway, that's my excuse for not writing over the last few days.  I hope it's better received than "the dog ate my homework."

Oprah Bits reporting again...  The subject of today's Oprah was "How We Treat The Food We Eat." Oprah announced that the purpose of this episode was to allow her audience to make informed conscious choices.  The episode dealt with animal welfare, and talked about Proposition 2,The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, a California initiative on this November's ballot.

According to Oprah's research 99% of farm animals in America spend their lives caged and indoors.

The episode was divided into three specific segments dealing with laying hens, pregnant pigs, and veal calves.  The specific animals targeted in Proposition 2.  Wayne Pacelle, president of the HSUS, was in Oprah's audience and defends Prop 2, saying these animals should have the ability to move around a little bit.   Before things really got going Oprah reminded us that the commercial farmers operate under a different set of assumptions, that the animals are viewed as commodities and the objective is to produce as much product as cheaply as possible.

The first segment dealt with the egg industry.

• The average American consumes 254 eggs per year.
• 75 billion eggs are produced in this country annually.
• 95% of eggs consumed in this country are produced in caged facilities.

Pacelle pointed out that each bird is allotted 67 square inches, a space equivalent to 2/3 of a  standard sheet of paper, for the 2 years they are alive.  Wow.

Oprah also had a few commercial farmers in her audience who defended their positions.  These farmers defended their practices by saying they're basically necessary.  They claim, probably rightly so, that if Prop 2 passes we won't be able to find affordable eggs produced in California.  It is likely that consumers motivated by price, will choose eggs produced in states without legislative restrictions on housing, or even eggs imported from Mexico.  Costs are already increasing because of higher costs of grain.

The representative for Californians for Safe Food, Julie Buckner, then commented that she was more interested in human welfare than animal welfare.  She stated that if this measure passes, the cost of these foods will increase, and the California egg industry will collapse.  She also went on to say that the increased space needed to house these animals would negatively impact the space available for human usage.  In my opinion Ms. Buckner spoke badly and did nothing to help her cause.

The next segment dealt with breeding pigs.

The commercial farmer interviewed in this segment stated that the gestational crates used are "a way we can take care of a lot of animals conscientiously.  They protect the sows from aggressive nature of other sows.  People who come in here and see these pigs in these stalls.  I understand that some people have some concerns about gestation crates.  A (pregnant) sow is looking for something to eat, drink and go to sleep. I think they're very comfortable and content."

Pacelle points out that each sow has 7-10 successive pregnancies.  They could be in crate for 3 years before they are spent and shipped off to be slaughtered.

One of the farmers in the audience commented that the term "factory" (as in factory farm) is perceived by most people as an operation that is only concerned with  pumping out product.  He'd like to think of a factory as a highly efficient place where people are happy to come to work and are concerned with animal welfare.  (Does he believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy too?)

Interestingly, Europe will ban all gestational crates by 2012.

The final segment dealt with veal calves.

The video we were shown indicates calves are kept in 22 inch wide crates for the 16 weeks they're kept alive.  They are fed an all liquid diet, intentionally kept anemic.  They have intestinal problems due to their diet.  Some are so weak they cannot stand up.  Many have sores on their bodies from constant rubbing and standing in their own waste.

The American Veal Processors Association representative, claims this is not representative of the industry. "We have a quality assurance program in place for our members. The barns are inspected every year, reviewed and audited by a veterinarian."

The veal industry is mandating its own changes, however.  By 2017 calves will live in group housing. There will be 6 calves to a pen.  They'll be free to roam in their own area without tethers or restraints, with the exception of vaccinations and early socialization.  My guess is that the industry has come to this on its own because the general public has a pretty good idea about how veal is raised and many people refuse to eat it.  Money is a great motivator.

The organic farmer claims that it actually costs less to raise free range veal.  There is no formula to buy, no antibiotics, no/fewer buildings, and there is less hands-on activities for the farmers.  Not to mention the benefits... it's better for planet and better for calves.

And that's it for the hour-long episode (minus many, many commercials and a lot of recapping).  Oprah says you can start making conscious choices about the food you eat. "California voters, Proposition 2 will be on your ballot next month.  The rest of us can vote at the grocery store with the food we buy for our tables."

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I highly commend Oprah for having the nerve to air a show like this on national television.  It's a great beginning.  It was a bit too sanitized, however.  The commonplace practices of debeaking chickens and clipping hogs ears/tails, were not dealt with.  The farms we visited were pristine looking.  Lisa Ling complained of the odor in the chicken farm, but really that makes little impact without smelling it yourself.  No mention was made of the method of transporting animals to slaughter or what goes on in slaughterhouses.  But hey, I would never have expected to see something like this on television today.  THANK YOU OPRAH!!!

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For further reading:

• Oprah - How We Treat The Food We Eat - Episode Transcript
• Proposition 2 - Yes or No -- Our Post - Your Comments
• Proposition 2 Revisited -- Our Post - Your Comments
• United Poultry Concerns
  
• Californians for Safe Food - They say "no" on Prop 2
• Humane Society's view on Prop 2 - They say "yes"
• Humane Society's Factory Farming Campaign
• Livestock’s Long Shadow (PDF file) -- The UN report on animal agriculture

And, if you haven't seen it already, we suggest you watch Earthlings, the 2003 documentary narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.  It will change the way you think about animals.

After all the last few posts on Proposition 2, I thought it might be time for something a little lighter.  It's still a little early, but Jane is starting to think about our Thanksgiving menu.  Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays and last year was our first Thanksgiving as vegans.  We will very likely have an almost identical meal to last year, but Jane wasn't thrilled with the Tofurky or the gravy she made.  We've since tried a number of recipes for gravy some based on nutritional yeast, some on mushrooms, and others are just a concoction of ingredients.  While none of them have been downright awful, Jane still haven't landed on one that we both "love."  That is until last night.  And it's so easy!

Jane made some zucchini.  While it was cooking, one of our cats needed a bunch of assistance.  When she came back to the zucchini, it had overcooked a bit.  We're not big on soggy vegetables, nor do we want to throw food away.  So, she decided to disguise the mess, by making a sauce.  She used equal parts of yellow miso and vegetable stock.  YUMMY!  We still have to try this over "meat" - but we're both hopeful.