I am not real big into the whole drive-a-hybrid-and-recycle-my-every-object lifestyle. However, when I am faced with undeniable logic I cannot help but be converted. Here is my alarming factoid for the day:
"In 2006, a University of Chicago study found that a vegan diet is far more effective than driving a hybrid car in reducing our carbon footprint. The scientists who did the calculations said that a Prius driver who consumes a meat-based diet actually contributes more to global warming than a Hummer driver who eats low on the food chain."
excerpt from John Robbins, The Food Revolution
I don't drive a hybrid, because they are cost prohibitive, but it baffles my mind the impact an animal based diet has on the environment. At least I'm doing something.
In light of it being a Monday, make it a meatless Monday. I promise you won't miss a thing.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Zenned Out Eggs
Sorry Liz, this post is for you!!
I won't even get into the moral issues around industrialized meat production, but it is worth noting that the same issues stem into egg and dairy production. Below, I have cut and paste the USDA labeling protocol for eggs. If you are buying 'cage-free' eggs and you think your chicken was thrilled about egg-laying with a thousand of her closest friends in a suffocating hut with a patch of grass in the corner, you're mistaken. Our Whole Foods has recently begun to stock Certified Humane eggs and it's worth every extra dollar (two, to be exact). Think of every purchase as a vote- a vote to stop disgusting and toxic breeding habits which ultimately help to counter act the awful state of food production in this country. And every time you hear of an E. Coli break-out, know that it is preventable.
Egg Carton Labels
Certified Organic: The birds are uncaged inside barns or warehouses, and are required to have outdoor access, but the amount, duration, and quality of outdoor access is undefined. They are fed an organic, all-vegetarian diet free of antibiotics and pesticides, as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program. Beak cutting and forced molting through starvation are permitted. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing.
Free-Range: While the USDA has defined the meaning of "free-range" for some poultry products, there are no standards in "free-range" egg production. Typically, free-range hens are uncaged inside barns or warehouses and have some degree of outdoor access, but there are no requirements for the amount, duration or quality of outdoor access. Since they are not caged, they can engage in many natural behaviors such as nesting and foraging. There are no restrictions regarding what the birds can be fed. Beak cutting and forced molting through starvation are permitted. There is no third-party auditing.
Certified Humane: The birds are uncaged inside barns or warehouses but may be kept indoors at all times. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density and number of perches and nesting boxes. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Certified Humane is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care.
Animal Welfare Approved: The highest animal welfare standards of any third-party auditiing program. However, there are no participating producers that sell to supermarkets. The birds are cage-free and continuous outdoor perching access is required. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density, perching, space and nesting boxes. Birds must be allowed to molt naturally. Beak cutting is prohibited. Animal Welfare Approved is a program of the Animal Welfare Institute.
American Humane Certified: This label allows both cage confinement and cage-free systems. Each animal who is confined in these so-called "furnished cages" has about the space of a legal-sized sheet of paper. An abundance of scientific evidence demonstrates that these cages are detrimental to animal welfare, and they are opposed by nearly every major US and EU animal welfare group. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. American Humane Certified is a program of American Humane Association.
Cage-Free: As the term implies, hens laying eggs labeled as "cage-free" are uncaged inside barns or warehouses, but they generally do not have access to the outdoors. They can engage in many of their natural behaviors such as walking, nesting and spreading their wings. Beak cutting is permitted. There is no third-party auditing.
Free-Roaming: Also known as "free-range," the USDA has defined this claim for some poultry products, but there are no standards in "free-roaming" egg production. This essentially means the hens are cage-free. There is no third-party auditing.
Food Alliance Certified: The birds are cage-free and access to outdoors or natural daylight is required. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing. There are specific requirements for stocking density, perching, space and nesting boxes. Starvation-based molting is prohibited. Beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Food Alliance Certified is a program of the Food Alliance.
United Egg Producers Certified: The overwhelming majority of the U.S. egg industry complies with this voluntary program, which permits routine cruel and inhumane factory farm practices. Hens laying these eggs have 67 square inches of cage space per bird, less area than a sheet of paper. The hens are confined in restrictive, barren battery cages and cannot perform many of their natural behaviors, including perching, nesting, foraging or even spreading their wings. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. This is a program of the United Egg Producers.
Vegetarian-Fed: These birds' feed does not contain animal byproducts, but this label does not have significant relevance to the animals' living conditions.
Natural: This label claim has no relevance to animal welfare.
Fertile: These eggs were laid by hens who lived with roosters, meaning they most likely were not caged.
Omega-3 Enriched: This label claim has no relevance to animal welfare.
I won't even get into the moral issues around industrialized meat production, but it is worth noting that the same issues stem into egg and dairy production. Below, I have cut and paste the USDA labeling protocol for eggs. If you are buying 'cage-free' eggs and you think your chicken was thrilled about egg-laying with a thousand of her closest friends in a suffocating hut with a patch of grass in the corner, you're mistaken. Our Whole Foods has recently begun to stock Certified Humane eggs and it's worth every extra dollar (two, to be exact). Think of every purchase as a vote- a vote to stop disgusting and toxic breeding habits which ultimately help to counter act the awful state of food production in this country. And every time you hear of an E. Coli break-out, know that it is preventable.
Egg Carton Labels
Certified Organic: The birds are uncaged inside barns or warehouses, and are required to have outdoor access, but the amount, duration, and quality of outdoor access is undefined. They are fed an organic, all-vegetarian diet free of antibiotics and pesticides, as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program. Beak cutting and forced molting through starvation are permitted. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing.
Free-Range: While the USDA has defined the meaning of "free-range" for some poultry products, there are no standards in "free-range" egg production. Typically, free-range hens are uncaged inside barns or warehouses and have some degree of outdoor access, but there are no requirements for the amount, duration or quality of outdoor access. Since they are not caged, they can engage in many natural behaviors such as nesting and foraging. There are no restrictions regarding what the birds can be fed. Beak cutting and forced molting through starvation are permitted. There is no third-party auditing.
Certified Humane: The birds are uncaged inside barns or warehouses but may be kept indoors at all times. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density and number of perches and nesting boxes. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Certified Humane is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care.
Animal Welfare Approved: The highest animal welfare standards of any third-party auditiing program. However, there are no participating producers that sell to supermarkets. The birds are cage-free and continuous outdoor perching access is required. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density, perching, space and nesting boxes. Birds must be allowed to molt naturally. Beak cutting is prohibited. Animal Welfare Approved is a program of the Animal Welfare Institute.
American Humane Certified: This label allows both cage confinement and cage-free systems. Each animal who is confined in these so-called "furnished cages" has about the space of a legal-sized sheet of paper. An abundance of scientific evidence demonstrates that these cages are detrimental to animal welfare, and they are opposed by nearly every major US and EU animal welfare group. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. American Humane Certified is a program of American Humane Association.
Cage-Free: As the term implies, hens laying eggs labeled as "cage-free" are uncaged inside barns or warehouses, but they generally do not have access to the outdoors. They can engage in many of their natural behaviors such as walking, nesting and spreading their wings. Beak cutting is permitted. There is no third-party auditing.
Free-Roaming: Also known as "free-range," the USDA has defined this claim for some poultry products, but there are no standards in "free-roaming" egg production. This essentially means the hens are cage-free. There is no third-party auditing.
Food Alliance Certified: The birds are cage-free and access to outdoors or natural daylight is required. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing. There are specific requirements for stocking density, perching, space and nesting boxes. Starvation-based molting is prohibited. Beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Food Alliance Certified is a program of the Food Alliance.
United Egg Producers Certified: The overwhelming majority of the U.S. egg industry complies with this voluntary program, which permits routine cruel and inhumane factory farm practices. Hens laying these eggs have 67 square inches of cage space per bird, less area than a sheet of paper. The hens are confined in restrictive, barren battery cages and cannot perform many of their natural behaviors, including perching, nesting, foraging or even spreading their wings. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. This is a program of the United Egg Producers.
Vegetarian-Fed: These birds' feed does not contain animal byproducts, but this label does not have significant relevance to the animals' living conditions.
Natural: This label claim has no relevance to animal welfare.
Fertile: These eggs were laid by hens who lived with roosters, meaning they most likely were not caged.
Omega-3 Enriched: This label claim has no relevance to animal welfare.
Even better than the real thing
There are very few examples of where a vegan option is better than a traditional dairy option. Vegan cheese? Eh- it works, but it isn't delectable. Vegan milk? I'm now more satisfied by almond milk than cow's milk, but I still have the occasional craving. Vegan ice cream sandwiches? Yes please! These Almond Dream lil' dreamers are heavenly, guilt-free and practically healthy! Good luck eating just one.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Thai Coconut Corn Soup
I made this the other night and it was delightful! I tripled the amount of Thai Red Curry and added a package of extra firm tofu (diced) to make this more filling. Don't be afraid of the saturated fat in the coconut milk (light or regular)- the fats in coconut oils are predominantly made up of medium chain fatty acids so that makes them ok (I'm not a scientist. so that's all I've got). Plus it's loaded with lauric acid which is found in breast milk and therefore more than likely a super healthy nutrient to consume.
INGREDIENTS
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced and divided
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 cans (15 oz) light coconut milk
12 oz rice milk
16 oz frozen corn
2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. Thai red curry paste (more or less to taste)
1 t. salt, plus more to taste
1/2 C finely chopped cilantro
DIRECTIONS
1) Heat the oil in a medium sized pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions and the peppers. Saute over medium low heat until softened, about 2-3 minutes.
2) Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder, and the green parts of the scallion. If using the red curry paste, dissolve it in a little bit of water before adding to the soup.
3) Bring to a rapid boil, then lower heat, cover and lightly simmer gently for 5 minutes**. Season with salt and remove from heat.
4) Serve, passing cilantro for topping.
**Note: Day two is better than day one on this soup, so simmering for an extended period would only add to the depth of flavor.
INGREDIENTS
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced and divided
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 cans (15 oz) light coconut milk
12 oz rice milk
16 oz frozen corn
2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. Thai red curry paste (more or less to taste)
1 t. salt, plus more to taste
1/2 C finely chopped cilantro
DIRECTIONS
1) Heat the oil in a medium sized pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions and the peppers. Saute over medium low heat until softened, about 2-3 minutes.
2) Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder, and the green parts of the scallion. If using the red curry paste, dissolve it in a little bit of water before adding to the soup.
3) Bring to a rapid boil, then lower heat, cover and lightly simmer gently for 5 minutes**. Season with salt and remove from heat.
4) Serve, passing cilantro for topping.
**Note: Day two is better than day one on this soup, so simmering for an extended period would only add to the depth of flavor.
German E. Coli
I don't want to be a total Debbie Downer over here, but essentially we can blame industrial meat production for this latest outbreak of E. Coli. I am fascinated at how every single article mentions the fact that E. Coli is a bacteria found in mammals but never discloses how or why it ends up on a cucumber. Well, let me break it to you like this- they spray the crap from the animals onto the vegetables as fertilizer.
Still hungry for dinner?
But here is the kicker- the E. Coli only exists because of the diet these animals are getting. First off they are highly immune compromised because of their unnatural living and breeding situation. Second, they are being fed corn. They don't want to eat corn. Cows, chickens and most livestock want to eat grass; that is what their digestive system was designed to consume. So when they started to be fed corn, their immune systems suffered and E. Coli was spawned. Why corn you ask? It's cheap.
So if we all cut back on meat the industry would suffer, scale back and ideally, ultimately, begin to raise their livestock as nature intended.
Still hungry for dinner?
But here is the kicker- the E. Coli only exists because of the diet these animals are getting. First off they are highly immune compromised because of their unnatural living and breeding situation. Second, they are being fed corn. They don't want to eat corn. Cows, chickens and most livestock want to eat grass; that is what their digestive system was designed to consume. So when they started to be fed corn, their immune systems suffered and E. Coli was spawned. Why corn you ask? It's cheap.
So if we all cut back on meat the industry would suffer, scale back and ideally, ultimately, begin to raise their livestock as nature intended.
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