There Has To Be A Better Way
If you've been reading this blog for a bit, you've probably noticed that we don't focus much on animal rights/animal welfare. For the most part, Jane and I came to veganism through a desire for better health. And so our focus is health, food, and lifestyle. As time has gone by, the health reasons that motivated us to become vegan in the first place have become less dominant; the thought of eating meat again has become abhorrent. And so, we dip our toes into the issue of anti-vivisection.
Gary, over at Animal Writings has been authoring a difficult series of late. It's all about the horrors of animal testing, from the abysmal treatment of the animals themselves to the inaccuracies of using animals to determine how drugs/procedures will impact humans. One of the resources he's used is a book called Sacred Cows and Golden Geese: The Human Cost of Experiments on Animals
Coincidentally, when I picked up the book this evening, I opened to this quote:
There are, in fact, only two categories of doctors and scientists who are not opposed to vivisection: those who don't know enough about ti, and those who make money from it.
-- Dr. Werner Hartinger, MD 1989
The truth is it's a painful issue to think about. Most of us would rather not consider where our food comes from or how our medications are tested. The scary thing is that this book professes (and documents) that animal testing is unnecessary and causes harm to both animals and humans. So we're perpetrating barbarism and cruelty for no reason.
In order to evolve as a species, we must treat all sentient beings with respect. It's time.
For more information on anti-vivisection see:
- Animal Writings
- Our post - An End To Animal Testing?
- The Environmental Defense Funds blog post on High Throughput In Vitro Testing
- Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing Newsletter
- American Anti-Vivisection Society
YouTube Vegetarians
Isn't the internet amazing? It 's something Jane and I often say to each other. We think of the computer as an adjunct to our brain; whenever we don't know something, we consult "the box that knows all." From song lyrics, to the date of the first Super Bowl, to the weather in Sydney, it's all there at the click of a mouse. We shop online, talk to our friends online, educate ourselves online... The internet has changed our lives.
Tonight I came across an Associated Press article stating that the U.S. government estimates 1 in 200 children are vegetarian, and that number may be higher for teens. This estimate is based on a CDC (Center for Disease Control) study on alternative medicine.
Case in point is Nicole Nightingale, 14, of Safety Harbor, Fla. In 2007, Nightingale was on the Internet to read about chicken when she came across a video on YouTube that showed the birds being slaughtered. At the end, viewers were invited to go to the Web site peta.org — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. ~ Associated Press
This certainly points to a rise in vegetarianism. Isn't the internet amazing?
Akbar’s Bengan Ka Salan
Bengan Ka Salan
Jane and I were in Santa Monica today and stopped in at Akbar, possibly my favorite Indian restaurant (they also have locations in Pasadena, Marina del Rey, and Hermosa Beach). Although they are not a vegan restaurant, they are familiar with vegan cuisine. We didn't have to go through an explanation of what we could and couldn't eat with our server. Always a joy! She even suggested we order the Roti bread instead of Naan as their Naan is made with milk (or was it eggs, I can't remember).
Anyway, this dish is sauteed chinese eggplant in a coconut tamarind sauce, you determine the level of spiciness. Yum! If you are in the Los Angeles area and enjoy Indian cuisine, I'd suggest a visit.
Stick With It Until It Works
Tuesday's Wall Street Journal profiled Seth Tibbot. Who's Seth Tibbot? Well, if you're like us and you eat mock-meat products, Mr. Tibbot is probably an important person in your life. He's the inventor of the Tofurky and the President of Turtle Island Foods. This year, over 275,000 Tofurky roasts were sold; this doesn't include the many other Tofurky products. Quite interestingly, sales have doubled between 2003 and 2007. That's a lot of Tofurky, and a sure sign that consumption of vegetarian meals, at least, is on the rise!
Mr. Tibbot is interviewed in the WSJ article and what struck me most is how far we've come. Okay, maybe I'm not part of that "we" as I've only been vegan for less than 2 years. But back in the 70s, when Tibbot went vegetarian (after reading Diet for a Small Planet
Today, as much as I may grumble that I'd like more options, I recognize that I'm fortunate enough to be able to find vegan food items without that much difficulty. Sure I have to go to Whole Foods or specialty health stores for the more exotic items I might be searching for. But I can get Tofurky cold cuts at all my local grocery stores, and soy yogurt, vegan cream cheese, and soy, rice and almond milks. I can even find vital wheat gluten at the grocery store! We've come a long way baby! Thanks to people like Seth Tibbot who had a dream and stayed the course.
And who knows what's down the road? Vegan pizza to rival the NY pizza of my childhood?
Watch Out For Bugs In Your Food
Effective January 5, 2011, the FDA will require all cochineal extract and carmine color additives to be included in the ingredient statement on food and cosmetic labels. Currently these are usually listed as "artificial color."
In case you're not aware, cochineal extract and carmine are used to dye food, drinks and cosmetics various shades of red, orange, pink and purple, and are extracted from the dried bodies of the female cochineal bug.
The reason for the ruling is that cochineal/carmine food colorings can cause severe allergic reaction in people.
For further information, see:
- FDA 21 CFR Parts 73 and 101
- Center for Science in the Public Interest Press Release 1/5/09
- FDA Law Blog
- Wikipedia - Cochineal
Nogürt, A New Way To Think About Yogurt
Nogürt
Jane and I were asked to review a soon-to-be-released new product recently. The product is Nogürt, a non-soy based vegan yogurt. It's not only soy-free, it's also GMO free, dairy-free, casein-free, lacotse-free, gluten-free, and certified organic to boot. In other words, it's a healthy option.
Since going vegan, we've pretty much given up on yogurt. Jane does use soy yogurt in some of her cooking/baking, but neither of us has been satisfied with the soy-yogurt substitutes we've tried eating straight from the container. So you can imagine how excited we were when the folks at Nogürt contacted us. The product arrived during the holidays, so we had a little sampling with two of our family members. The tasting group wound up being three adults and one child. We were sent three flavors to sample: Orange, Blueberry, and Pomegranate.
Nogürt Orange
First the Orange.
Nutritional Info -- Serving Size:6 oz /170g; Calories: 220; Fat 1.5 g; Carbs: 50 g; Protein: 3 g
Neither Jane nor I had ever tried orange yogurt; to us, that flavor didn't really make sense. Although we both did love creamsicles when we were children... It smelled okay, but the taste and texture didn't work for any of us. Of the three flavors, this was the least palatable to the four of us.
Nogürt Pomegranate
Next we tried the Pomegranate.
Nutritional Info -- Serving Size:6 oz /170g; Calories: 230; Fat 1 g; Carbs: 52 g; Protein: 3 g
When we opened the container, we were all pleased with the aroma that came from within. It wasn't as tart as some pomegranate products. Of the three, this was Jane's favorite, and her sister-in-law's as well.
Nogürt Blueberry
Finally, there was the Blueberry
Nutritional Info -- Serving Size:6 oz /170g; Calories: 220; Fat 2 g; Carbs: 48 g; Protein: 3 g
Blueberry was always my favorite flavor of dairy-based yogurt. And this wound up being my favorite of the Nogürt brand. Our nephew also thought this was the best of the three (is it a gender thing?). It didn't smell as good as the pomegranate, however.
Overall product review:
The Nogürt, while not as smooth as dairy-based yogurt, is far superior in texture to any soy yogurt we've tried. Since we tested flavored varieties, Jane didn't cook/bake with any of them, so we can't report on that. Will we buy this product? Absolutely. However, as with most vegan "substitution" products, I don't think it is superior to the product it is replacing. If you or someone you love suffers from allergies, this product is a must-try.
As of this time, Nogürt is not yet available. Look for it soon in your local Whole Foods and if you're in Colorado, Vitamin Cottage and Sunflower Farmers Market as well.
Happy Belated New Year
We wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009, a bit belatedly. As you can see, we've been busy putting a new coat of paint on Vegan Bits, which was much more time consuming than we expected. And is, unfortunately, not entirely finished. I've also been taking a little "time off" to spend with friends and family.
We've updated our Vegan Resources page as well. Hopefully the Resources tab will be back on top of the blog in the near future (but you can always find Vegan Resources"t by using the search button above, or clicking on the link in the right column down below under "pages." Things are still a bit unfinished, but this is the general look you can expect for the next bit of time.
