To the animals, it’s all the same. They want to live. If they have wings, they want to fly. If they have legs, they want to walk. If they have voices, they want to communicate. If they have offspring, they want to mother them. To humans who perceive animals as inferior, their lives are here for us to end, their wings and legs are ours to eat, their voices are ours to silence or ignore, and their reproductive cycles are ours to manipulate and use. It’s not the animals but our perception of the animals that enables us to do all sorts of horrific things to them. As with any kind of prejudice, first you have to lower the societal status of the group or individual before you can actually oppress them, and we do this with animals across the board: in the language we use that denigrates them (calling people pigs, calling animals dirty), in the rights and natural behaviors we deny them, in the place we’ve carved out for them in society, making them tools for research, clowns for our enjoyment, delicacies for our palates, and victims of our desires. This dynamic is so ingrained. We learn it at such a young age, and we’re considered quite radical if we question it at all. And we think all the world thinks and acts as we do.

We never stop to consider that our perceptions and treatment of non-human animals is culturally based. Period. Our cultural and personal and familial habits inform so much of what we do on a daily basis. It’s why any talk of the “necessity” of eating animal flesh is balderdash. It has nothing to do with our biologic makeup and everything to do with our cultural foundation, taste habits, and, frankly, our arrogance, the arrogance of the human species. But let’s talk about cultural habits for now.

As westerners, most of us were raised eating the dismembered and scorched bodies – otherwise known as meat – of pigs, cows, calves, chickens, fishes, ducks, lambs, and turkeys. Despite the fact that these animals suffered and were killed to satisfy our appetites, many of us draw an arbitrary line and turn our noses up at the people who eat other animals that may not have been on our own dinner plates: animals such as deer, rabbit, or buffalo. People get upset at the thought of eating precious bunny rabbits, as they munch on the leg of what was once a precious calf or baby chick. With even greater indignance we’re shocked at the (also western) cultures who eat horses and goats, and our stomachs turn at the idea of eating frog’s legs, chicken’s feet, cow’s tongues, and monkey’s brains. And with what can be characterized as approval of our own speciesism, we scorn those who eat cats and dogs.

“Can you believe that?” Some people have said to me. “That’s just so upsetting – cats and dogs? I mean really!.” Is something I often hear. And I attempt to mirror the hypocrisy of their remark by saying: “You know what I heard? I heard people eat the shoulders of pigs and the wings of birds! Can you believe that?” OK it doesn’t have the same shock value, but it would if that person lived in a place where that was unheard of. In the workshops I teach, do an exercise that works quite effectively to get this across. I give the group a handout that talks about the growing number of farms raising dogs for their milk, about how this is a growing trend that’s popular in different parts of the world. People get outraged. They get really upset to hear about the female dogs in confinement, chained up, made and kept pregnant so they will keep lactating, taking away the babies so humans can have the dogs’ milk, etc. After everyone records their reactions, I reveal that the article was really about goat’s milk before I replaced all the references to goats with the word “dog.” It’s at that moment that everyone feels the impact of their reactions. They begin to question why they reacted so strongly when they thought it was about dogs and that they don’t think twice about drinking cow’s milk (and now goat’s milk and sheep’s milk, which are being touted as necessary health food for humans). It’s a powerful exercise, and it’s hard to do, because it’s so hard to look at the world through a different lens. But it’s what we need to do to see the absurdity of our choices.

In writing these podcasts and the essays for my newsletter (also called Food for Thought, which you can subscribe to at compassionatecooks.com), it’s always a struggle finding the words and the photos that will be effective enough without turning people off. The photos of dogs and cats raised for their flesh in parts of Asia (particularly Korea and China) are so horrific for people, because they’ve never seen dogs and cats in such gruesome circumstances. It’s the way most of us react when we first see the animals we kill and eat in this country, but it’s a little more upsetting I think, because most people haven’t had personal relationships with pigs, cattle, chickens, turkeys, etc. I can understand having a strong reaction. I really can. But I also think it’s important we recognize that the deep roots of our desensitization enable us to allow animals here to be imprisoned, confined, denied, abused, and tortured so that we can satisfy a palate preference, whether that preference is for the legs and wings of chickens, the backsides of pigs, or the sides of cows. – it comes down to the cultural habit that has been ingrained in us. The dogs and cats, the goats and horses – they’re all cultural habits of other countries. Just as some cultures or religions choose vegetarian – it’s all cultural. It has nothing to do with biology. If we can remember that, perhaps we wouldn’t be so quick to judge other cultures but would instead rise up to oppose what we do in our own.

On the other hand, I don’t believe culture, tradition, or religion are adequate excuses for cruelty. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the great humanitarian wrote, “The thinking [person] must oppose all cruel customs no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another.” I couldn’t agree more or have said it more eloquently. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Just because we’ve always done something doesn’t mean it’s the best thing or the right thing to do. And when we know better, we can choose better.

To the animals, it’s all the same. Whether they meow, snort, bark, winny, moo, quack, gobble, hop, fly, swim, or run, they all feel pain, loss, and fear. A Korean dog wants to live and resists death as much as an American duck. To the animals kept and killed for human pleasure, it’s all the same.— the loneliness, the pain, the screams, the darkness, the torment, the fear, the cold, the heat, the untreated illnesses, the longing, the frustration, the boredom, the desire to flee, the desire to live. When we can recognize that we share all of this with non-human animals, perhaps we’d reconsider the choices we make on a daily basis. Consider this – they’re all habits, and habits were meant to be broken. It takes three weeks to break old and form new habits. There’s no reason – only excuses – not to at least try

Click here for the full article or link to www.compassionatecooks.com

Vegan Desserts

I’m often asked “How can you cook without eggs?” or Don’t you need eggs for that sauce?”. The answer is simple. Anyone can cook without using eggs the same way people have done for a very long time.  If you asked somebody’s grandmother, she could tell you some stories. During the depression, a cake called the “crazy cake” or “wacky cake” became popular because a combination of vinegar and baking soda make the cake rise. They are very lite, easy and fun to make. I never did care for the banana bread or carrot cake recipes used often today for the very reason they are so very rich (fattening).  Pancakes, cupcakes, muffins, bread, pasta, alfredo, quiche are no problem! The list is actually endless. Recently I made the most moist vanilla bean cupcakes in the world thanks to a recipe from “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World“.  There are 268 5 star reviews for the book. Take a look at it for yourself or you could trust me. If you google vegan desserts today (1/9/2010) you will get over 18 million returns.

A conscience vegan doesn’t just eat cake! I personally love dishes with creamy sauces.  Right now I’m looking at a recipe in Vegetarian Times magazine called Fettuccine with Three-Herb Pesto, Black Kale, and Oyster Mushrooms. Yum!  The other day I made a quick easy dish with ingredients I had on hand in my frig. I sauteed some red peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic. Then I mixed in just enought  tofutti cream cheese, a couple tablespoons of vegetable broth, fresh herbs (or dried) to make a creamy sauce. Just before serving I tossed in some spinach which cooks down fast and served. I don’t have a recipe for this because it is so easy. I digress…

I couldn’t come up with a better list for fat free substitues and techniques then what Susan has on her website. Here is her link. Some ingredients she mentions are applesauce, flax meal, mashed or puried tofu, corn starch, blended cooked white beans, banana, canned pumpkin, Eggreplacer (Publix even carries it), soy or bean flour, baking powder, baking soda and the list could go on and on.  Check it out. It’s just under 32 degrees here in NE Florida so I’m off to make some oatmeal cookies and turn my oven on.

Here is the recipe link for the dessert crumble bars and the link for the bonbons from manifest:vegan.com. The directions for the bonbons have step by step photos.  You will have fun making them.

Tips: Cooking without eggs and egg substitutes

 A modest proposal for tossing Fido in the oven

 By Jonathan Safran Foer

This is one of the most common questions I get.  We need to stop obsessing about protein and start looking at our consumption of  complex carbohydrates.  What people should  be worried about is cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. These diseases of affluence and poverty are prevalent but starving from lack of protein doesn’t happen much in the united states.  Humans need about 10 % of the calories we consume to be from protein.  Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, and whole grains are packed with protein. So are all vegetables as a caloric percentage, though they don’t have enough calories to sustain most people as a principal source of sustenance. These protein sources contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates, where meat contains none.

According to Dr. Dean Ornish, “high-protein foods, particularly excessive animal protein, dramatically increase the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, and many other illnesses. In the short run, they may also cause kidney problems, loss of calcium in the bones, and an unhealthy metabolic state called ketosis in many people.”

According the the Physician’s Committee Of Responsible Medicine, there are many health problems associated with too much protein intake.

Osteoporosis. High protein intake is known to encourage urinary calcium losses and has been shown to increase risk of fracture in research studies.^6,7 Plant-based diets, which provide adequate protein, can help protect against osteoporosis. Calcium-rich plant foods include leafy green vegetables, beans, and some nuts and seeds as well as fortified fruit juices, cereals, and non-dairy milks.

Cancer.Although fat is the dietary substance most often singled out for increasing one’s risk for cancer, animal protein also plays a role. Specifically, certain proteins present in meat, fish, and poultry, cooked at high temperatures, especially grilling and frying, have been found to produce compounds called heterocyclic amines. These substances have been linked to various cancers including those of the colon and breast.^8-10

Long-term high intake of meat, particularly red meat, is associated with significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer. The 1997 report of the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, Food, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Cancer, reported that, based on available evidence, diets high in red meat were considered probable contributors to colorectal cancer risk. In addition, high-protein diets are typically low in dietary fiber. Fiber appears to be protective against cancer.³ A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is important in decreasing cancer risk,³ not to mention adding more healthful sources of protein in the diet.

Impaired Kidney Function. When people eat too much protein, it releases nitrogen into the blood or is digested and metabolized. This places a strain on the kidneys, which must expel the waste through the urine. High-protein diets are associated with reduced kidney function. Over time, individuals who consume very large amounts of protein, particularly animal protein, risk permanent loss of kidney function. Harvard researchers reported recently that high-protein diets were associated with a significant decline in kidney function, based on observations in 1,624 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study. The good news is that the damage was found only in those who already had reduced kidney function at the study’s outset. The bad news is that as many as one in four adults in the United States may already have reduced kidney function, suggesting that most people who have renal problems are unaware of that fact and do not realize that high-protein diets may put them at risk for further deterioration. The kidney-damaging effect was seen only with animal protein. Plant protein had no harmful effect.¹¹

The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that high animal protein intake is largely responsible for the high prevalence of kidney stones in the United States and other developed countries and recommends protein restriction for the prevention of recurrent kidney stones.¹²

Heart Disease. Typical high-protein diets are extremely high in dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. The effect of such diets on blood cholesterol levels is a matter of ongoing research. However, such diets pose additional risks to the heart, including increased risk for heart problems immediately following a meal. Evidence indicates that meals high in saturated fat adversely affect the compliance of arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks.¹³ Adequate protein can be consumed through a variety of plant products that are cholesterol-free and contain only small amounts of fat.

Weight Loss Sabotage. Many individuals see almost immediate weight loss as a result of following a high-protein diet. In fact, the weight loss is not a result of consuming more protein, but by simply consuming fewer calories. Over the long run, consumption of this type of diet is not practical as it can result in the aforementioned health problems. As with any temporary diet, weight gain is often seen when previous eating habits are resumed. To achieve permanent weight loss while promoting optimal health, the best strategy involves lifestyle changes including a low-fat diet of grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables combined with regular physical activity.

The cancer connection is spelled out at length in a fantastic book by Cornell scientist T. Colin Campbell, called The China Study. Basically, there is overwhelming scientific evidence to implicate that animal protein consumption causes cancer.

Here are just some examples of healthy protein sources.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi

That couldn’t be further from the truth and Eggland’s Best isn’t going to run a TV commercial showing you the horrid conditions of 99% of all factory farmed animals. YUM – this is where YOUR food comes from. Most people are still confused by package labels.  Here are what the terms mean.

 Here is a link to a short video about broiler chickens. We are what we eat and I think we should know where our food comes from and how it gets onto our plate.

 http://www.chickenindustry.com/cfi/videogallery/

Mark Twain

When I think of the great American author Mark Twain (1835-1910), I think of stories “ The Adventures of  Huckleberry Fin” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. I had no idea he was an animal rights activist who cared deeply for all sentient beings! Below are some links to some of his less known publications on anti-vivesection and the treatment of dogs and horses. The links will take you to the full stories. The truth about vivisection is that it is still being practiced today.

 According to IDA*, tens of millions of animals are dissected every year, infected, injected, gassed, burned and blinded in hidden laboratories on college campuses and research facilities throughout the U.S. Still more animals are used to test the safety of cosmetics, household cleansers and other consumer products. These innocent primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents and other animals are used against their will as research subjects in experiments and procedures that would be considered sadistically cruel were they not conducted in the name of science.

1900 | Mark Twain,  “Mark Twain on Scientific Research,”Animals’ Friend (London:1894-?) 6 (1900 Apr): 99-100 [Online Edition: Animal Rights History, 2003]. [Letter to Sidney G. Trist (Editor of the Animals' Friend Magazine), in his capacity as Secretary of the London Anti-Vivisection Society; Also published in pamplet form as Pains of Lowly Life (London: Anti-Vivisection Society, 1900).  "DEAR SIR,—I believe I am not interested to know whether Vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn't. To know that the results are profitable to the race would not remove my hostility to it. The pains which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity towards it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further."

1903 | Mark Twain, A Dog's Tale [First published in Harper's Monthly Magazine (New York, 1900-1913) (1903 Christmas); First Separate Edition: London: Anti-Vivisection Society, 1903] (New York & London, 1904; Digitized by Google, 2006).

“The laboratory was not a book, or a picture, or a place to wash your hands in, as the college president’s dog said—no, that is the lavatory; the laboratory is quite different, and is filled with jars, and bottles, and electrics, and wires, and strange machines; and every week other scientists came there and sat in the place, and used the machines, and discussed, and made what they called experiments and discoveries.…”

1906 | Mark Twain, A Horse’s Tale [First published in two parts in Harper's Monthly Magazine (New York: 1900-1913) 845/846 (1906 Aug-Sep) [First separate edition privately printed in 1906] (New York & London, 1906; Digitized by Google, 2006).

“…How many times have I changed hands? I think it is twelve times—I cannot remember; and each time it was down a step lower, and each time I got a harder master.”

*IDA In Defense of Animals

No Queso or Cheese Quesadilla

Chipotle Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadilla

Feel free to double this recipe for extras.

2 small-medium size sweet potato
1/2 c black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2  chipotle pepper*, roughly chopped and add a tsp of sauce to taste
1/4 tsp cumin ( I personally think cumin can overpower dishes so taste as you go, add more or leave it out.)
Chopped cilantro (optional)
Salt to taste
2-3 tortillas

Peel, cut up and cook the sweet potato. I prefer steaming mine so they don’t get too soggy. Mash the potato, and add the cumin, chopped chipotle and adobe sauce, then mix well. Stir in the black beans. Less is more when you go to fill these.
Cook in a pan with a little Earth Balance. Fold one side over the filling and flip it after it starts to get golden colored. I use kitchen scissors to cut mine into 3 sections. Then top with salsa, sour cream (Tofutti brand) and serve.

Variations: I’ve added cooked chopped onion, garlic cloves, 1 tsp of cardamom, pesto as a layer to give the quesadilla color and a whole new flavor.

 * Adobe Sauce in a can is sold in the ethnic section at most grocery stores. Depending on the number of ingredients you use they can get soft. I don’t recommend these for a buffet suggest you serve them soon after making. Utensils are better then fingers with this appetizer or meal. Enjoy! If you don’t have any you can substitute a little cayenne pepper. Tip- I put the whole can in a food processor and freeze extras in small sandwich baggies.

For more than two decades, Farm Sanctuary’s annual Walk for Farm Animals has helped spread the word about the treatment of animals on factory farms and raised vital funds for our rescue, education and advocacy work.  The Walks are an important part of Farm Sanctuary’s history and our outreach and fundraising efforts. They are also a great way for supporters to help send a positive message of compassion and hope for farm animals.  Please feel free to join me, donate or support the sanctuary any way you can. 

A Compassionate World Begins With You!

“All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life.” -Buddha

“Animals are my friends. I don’t eat my friends. ” -George Bernard Shaw

“Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is — whether its victim is human or animal — we cannot expect things to be much better in this world. We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature.” -Rachael Carson

“If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals.” -Leo Tolstoy

“I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.” -Henry David Thoreau
“Things do not change; we change.” -Henry David Thoreau

“The greatness of a nations and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mohandas Gandi

“Think occassionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.” -Albert Schweitzer

…….. The U.S. agricultural industry can now produce unlimited quantities of meat and grains at remarkably cheap prices. But it does so at a high cost to the environment, animals and humans. Those hidden prices are the creeping erosion of our fertile farmland, cages for egg-laying chickens so packed that the birds can’t even raise their wings and the scary rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among farm animals. Add to the price tag the acceleration of global warming — our energy-intensive food system uses 19% of U.S. fossil fuels, more than any other sector of the economy.

And perhaps worst of all, our food is increasingly bad for us, even dangerous. A series of recalls involving contaminated foods this year — including an outbreak of salmonella from tainted peanuts that killed at least eight people and sickened 600 — has consumers rightly worried about the safety of their meals. A food system — from seed to 7‑Eleven — that generates cheap, filling food at the literal expense of healthier produce is also a principal cause of America’s obesity epidemic. At a time when the nation is close to a civil war over health-care reform, obesity adds $147 billion a year to our doctor bills. “The way we farm now is destructive of the soil, the environment and us,” says Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist with the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). (See pictures of what the world eats.)  

 Full Story

Very interesting short video on chickens

1 – Human, 2 – Cow, 3 – Cat, 4 – Dog, 5 – Horse

I have a degree in Anthropology but you don’t need one to see the differences in the photo posted above. In my opinion it speaks for itself and the shape of our teeth and the way our jaw moves are just a few reasons why I think we are not physically designed to eat meat. Just because we can consume meat doesn’t mean we should be eating it.

 Have you looked at the average waistline in our society? Most children eat the same foods their parents ate which are loaded with saturated fat, salt and sugar.  My own town of Jacksonville, FL,  just ranked #8 in Men’s Health as one of the fattest cities in the US and I’m not surprised! “Eighty percent of schools still serve too much greasy, fattening food to meet the government’s own nutrition guidelines,” says PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D. If you don’t care about saturated fat in your diet you should be concerned about your health care premiums.

Back to my anatomy lesson. Just because I can eat a double whopper with cheese, large order of french fries and a milk shake doesn’t mean my body is designed to digest it efficiently. My belly aches thinking about it. I’m going to summarize below an article from Milton R. Mills, M.D. and include some facts about the anatomical and physical differences between herbivores and true carnivores. I encourage you to read his full article and then go take a good look at your cat.

Taken from “The Comparative Anatomy of Eating”

Comparative anatomy of eating

The human gastrointestinal tract features the anatomical modifications consistent with an herbivorous diet. Humans have muscular lips and a small opening into the oral cavity. Many of the so-called “muscles of expression” are actually the muscles used in chewing. The muscular and agile tongue essential for eating, has adapted to use in speech and other things. The mandibular joint is flattened by a cartilaginous plate and is located well above the plane of the teeth. The temporalis muscle is reduced. The characteristic “square jaw” of adult males reflects the expanded angular process of the mandible and the enlarged masseter/pterygoid muscle group. The human mandible can move forward to engage the incisors, and side-to-side to crush and grind.

Human teeth are also similar to those found in other herbivores with the exception of the canines (the canines of some of the apes are elongated and are thought to be used for display and/or defense). Our teeth are rather large and usually abut against one another. The incisors are flat and spade-like, useful for peeling, snipping and biting relatively soft materials. The canines are neither serrated nor conical, but are flattened, blunt and small and function like incisors. The premolars and molars are squarish, flattened and nodular, and used for crushing, grinding and pulping non-coarse foods.

Human saliva contains the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme, salivary amylase. This enzyme is responsible for the majority of starch digestion. The esophagus is narrow and suited to small, soft balls of thoroughly chewed food. Eating quickly, attempting to swallow a large amount of food or swallowing fibrous and/or poorly chewed food (meat is the most frequent culprit) often results in choking in humans. Man’s stomach is single-chambered, but only moderately acidic. (Clinically, a person presenting with a gastric pH less than 4-5 when there is food in the stomach is cause for concern.) The stomach volume represents about 21-27% of the total volume of the human GI tract. The stomach serves as a mixing and storage chamber, mixing and liquefying ingested foodstuffs and regulating their entry into the small intestine. The human small intestine is long, averaging from 10 to 11 times the body length. (Our small intestine averages 22 to 30 feet in length. Human body size is measured from the top of the head to end of the spine and averages between two to three feet in length in normal-sized individuals.)

The human colon demonstrates the pouched structure peculiar to herbivores. The distensible large intestine is larger in cross-section than the small intestine, and is relatively long. Man’s colon is responsible for water and electrolyte absorption and vitamin production and absorption. There is also extensive bacterial fermentation of fibrous plant materials, with the production and absorption of significant amounts of food energy (volatile short-chain fatty acids) depending upon the fiber content of the diet. The extent to which the fermentation and absorption of metabolites takes place in the human colon has only recently begun to be investigated.

In conclusion, we see that human beings have the gastrointestinal tract structure of a “committed” herbivore. Humankind does not show the mixed structural features one expects and finds in anatomical omnivores such as bears and raccoons. Thus, from comparing the gastrointestinal tract of humans to that of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores we must conclude that humankind’s GI tract is designed for a purely plant-food diet.