Don't Get Mad, Get GLAD: Plant-based Diets 2

This is part 8 of my research on global food movements entitled
GLOBALIZATION: It's what for dinner

Global food movements making a difference:
PLANT-BASED DIETS - CURRENT HISTORY

In the east and in the west, history clearly reveals that plant-based diets have nourished and sustained cultures all over the world for thousands of years. However, Manchester, England in 1815 is often regarded as the birthplace of the current vegetarian movement. [44]

Because of the industrial revolution taking place in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was growing awareness of health problems and the cruel treatment of animals. Large numbers of factories were being developed with appalling living conditions and an extremely poor diet for workers. Rev. William Cowherd was among those who responded to this problem. Taking a closer look at health, the environment, and animals, this Bible Christian preacher advanced the principle of abstinence from flesh-eating.

The Bible Christian denomination embraced a vegetarian diet and became the first institution to promote vegetarianism in the contemporary western world. Many of its members formed the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom in 1847. In 1817, 40 Bible Christian members brought the message to the United States. They founded a church in Philadelphia, and launched the vegetarian movement in America, which has a history of stutters and starts.

Though details are sketchy as to the beginning of vegetarian movements in other nations, by 1908, the International Vegetarian Union was founded with vegetarian societies having been established in 22 nations, primarily in Europe, but also in New Zealand, Chile, and India. Though Mohandas K. Gandhi was active in the London Vegetarian Society in the 1890s before his return to India, his involvement with the Indian or Punjab Vegetarian Society is unclear. [45]

As meat consumption began to dramatically rise in Western nations in the 20th century due to modern conveniences, refrigeration, and transportation, the vegetarian movement in the US declined with the rise of convenience foods and fast food restaurants. Internationally, however, the overall movement continued at a steady rate. For the United States, vegetarian societies appeared to come and go, reflecting the ambiguity of the population for plant-based diets.

It wasn't until 1960 when the current American Vegetarian Society was launched. Renewed interest in a vegetarian diet within the 1960s counterculture colored people's opinion of the movement. However, Francis Moore Lappé's Diet for a Small Planet in 1971 served as a catalyst to steer the movement towards a mainstream audience by raising awareness of health choices in light of emerging environmental problems. John Robbins' book in 1987, along with books by Dr. Dean Ornish, have increased credibility and have helped bring attention to the issues of health, diet, and the environment.

Now partnered with the animal rights movement, vegetarianism in the US today and around the planet appears to be on the rise, though statistics are difficult to assess. [46] In 1989, Collins and Collins note that "The popularity of plant-based diets has been increasing and both the variety and availability of convenient vegetarian foods have been skyrocketing. Restaurants around the country now regularly offer meat-free and dairy-free options. Scientists are publishing more articles about vegetarianism and writing more about the health potential of a plant-based diet." [47] Recent market sales continue to confirm that vegetarian foods have been on the rise in the last decade, especially in the UK. [48]

Morton Spurlock's 2004 award winning documentary "Supersize Me" on the effects of fast food, Oprah Winfrey's decision on national TV to go vegan for 21 days this year, and a growing number of celebrities publicly declaring their commitment to more compassionate dietary choices all reflect the acceptance and growing popular interest in plant-based diets in contemporary culture. [49]

In their 2006 book, The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter (where the acronym SAD originates), Singer and Mason examine three families' grocery-buying habits and the motivations behind those choices. They highlight with admiration a Kansas family that has turned vegan so as not to participate in the destructive cycle of animal and human exploitation. As individuals and families make new informed choices, the plant-based movement grows.

When asked about the future of vegetarianism, Howard Lyman, cattle rancher turned vegan, best-selling author of the book Mad Cowboy, and enemy #1 of Texas cattlemen because of his 1998 comments on Oprah, said, "I believe the vegetarian movement . . . will continue to grow. I see my role as that of a motivator to the young activists in the first world. I believe for the human species to survive on the Planet Earth, we must adopt a plant-based diet in this generation. Our future and the future of our children and grandchildren rests in the hands of the vegetarian activists today. No one can do it all, but we all can do something. We must get involved before it is too late." [50]

Next week:
Empowering consumer choices

[44] "Shaker-makers! Manchester Originals," International Actuarial Association - Manchester, http://www.actuaries.org/ASTIN/Colloquia/Manchester/Manchester_Originals.pdf (accessed December 17, 2008). Other details on the beginning of the vegetarian movement come from: Derek Antrobus, "Transatlantic vegetarians" (September 2000), International Vegetarian Union - History of vegetarianism http://www.ivu.org/history/england19a/transatlantic.html (accessed December 14, 2008); Maxwell G. Lee, "150 Years of Vegetarianism," International Vegetarian Union, http://www.ivu.org/congress/euro97/150-years.html (accessed December 14, 2008); and Maxwell Lee, "Formation of The Vegetarian Society," The Vegetarian Society UK - History Information Sheet, http://www.vegsoc.org/info/developm.html (accessed December 14, 2008).
[45] "Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)," International Vegetarian Union, http://www.ivu.org/history/gandhi/1891-11.html (accessed December 18, 2008).
[46] cf. "Q: Society, Diet and Statistics," Google Answers, http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=706957 (accessed December 17, 2008).
[47] Collins and Collins, 350.
[48] "Sales Figures 1991-2004," Vegetarian Society, http://www.vegsoc.org/info/statveg-sales.html (accessed December 17, 2008).
[49] cf. " HappyCow's Famous Vegetarians," HappyCow, http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html (accessed December 18, 2008).
[50] "24 Carrot Award," Vegetarians in Paradise, http://www.vegparadise.com/24carrot31.html (accessed December 17, 2008). For more information on the lawsuit filed against Lyman and Winfrey: http://www.madcowboy.com/01_BookOP.000.html.)

Don't Get Mad, Get GLAD: Plant-based Diets

This is part 7 of my research on global food movements entitled
GLOBALIZATION: It's what's for dinner

Global food movements making a difference: PLANT-BASED DIETS

"Eat less meat." That was the essence of the message by Dr. Rajendra Pacauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in September. While the comments by this Nobel Peace Prize recipient may be "the most controversial yet," they represent one of the most practical things individuals can do to tackle global warming. [38] "In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity," Pacauri said. "Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there."

The comments by this vegetarian bear testimony to another global food movement - plant-based diets, which include Vegetarianism, Veganism, Raw/Live Foodism, and Fruitarianism. [39] Each has received increased attention as a sustainable dietary choice, which has health benefits personally and environmentally.

Though the history of plant-based diets is a long one, John Robbins brought it to the forefront of the American conscious in 1987 with his book, Diet For A New America. Now an international bestseller, the book clearly presents how food choice affects personal health and happiness, but also the future of life on the earth. By detailing health risks of meat consumption, corruption in food production, and animal abuses in the food industry, he advocates for a plant-based, vegan diet, and has inspired many to eat less (if any) meat.

Robbins drew much attention to himself and to his first book as the only son of Irving Robbins of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire. Though groomed to follow in his father's footsteps, he chose to walk away from the company and the immense wealth it represented to "pursue the deeper American Dream. . . the dream of a society at peace with its conscience because it respects and lives in harmony with all life forms. A dream of a society that is truly healthy, practicing a wise and compassionate stewardship of a balanced ecosystem." [40] While Robbins really gave credibility to the growing vegan movement, he also re-started the vegetarian movement in the United States. [41]

The history of plant-based diets is really as old as history, and rooted in all religious and philosophical traditions. [42] In terms of human anatomy, some doctors are advancing the physiological facts that humanity was created as natural herbivores, not carnivores. [43] This is confirmed in the creation story of the Judeo-Christian faith where a plant-based diet is prescribed for humans and for animals in Genesis 1:29-30, with the harmonious co-existence of humanity and the environment being deemed by the Creator as "very good" (1:31).

Among religious groups in Egypt around 3200 BC, a vegetarian ideology was practiced with abstinence from flesh based upon karmic beliefs in reincarnation. Abstention from meat was also central to such early religions as Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroasterianism, and Jainism, which all hold doctrines of non-violence and respect for all life forms. While wishing to avoid animal cruelty, philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras encouraged vegetarianism as a key factor in peaceful human co-existence, putting forward the view that slaughtering animals brutalized the human soul. He also saw the health advantages in a meat-free diet.

Other ancient Greek thinkers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle also favored a vegetarian diet and advocated a "natural" life that did not involve animal cruelty. Though such ideals found very limited sympathy within the brutality of Ancient Rome, vegetarianism spread throughout the Roman Empire from the 3rd to 6th centuries among those influenced by Neo-Platonist philosophy, a progression from the teachings of Plato.

In the east and in the west, history clearly reveals that plant-based diets have nourished and sustained cultures all over the world for thousands of years. However, Manchester, England in 1815 is often regarded as the birthplace of the current vegetarian movement. [44]

Next week:
History of the current vegetarian movement

[38] Juliette Jowit, "UN says eat less meat to curb global warming," Guadian.co.uk, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/07/food.foodanddrink (accessed September 20, 2008).
[39] Veganism, Raw/Live Foodism, and Fruitarianism share roots with the Vegetarian movement. Due to limited space, only the history of Vegetarianism will be presented in this paper. Each, however, like Vegetarianism, developed first in Europe before influencing the dietary choices of Americans.
[40] "About John Robbins," Food Revolution, http://www.foodrevolution.org/bio.htm (accessed December 17, 2008).
[41] Michael Bluejay, "A History of Vegetarianism," Vegetarian Guide, http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/history.html (accessed December 17, 2008).
[42] Portions of this history are from "21st Century Vegetarians - Through the Ages," The Vegetarian Society UK, http://www.vegsoc.org/news/2000/21cv/ages.html (accessed December 14, 2008),
[43] Milton Mills, "Are Humans Designed To Eat Meat?" (2007), VegSource http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/mills_07.htm (accessed December 17, 2008).
[44] "Shaker-makers! Manchester Originals," International Actuarial Association - Manchester, http://www.actuaries.org/ASTIN/Colloquia/Manchester/Manchester_Originals.pdf (accessed December 17, 2008).

MY VEGGIE TALE: Part 3 - a freezer story

(For Part 1 - a weight loss story - see October 21, 2007)
(For Part 2 - a running story - see December 9, 2007)

While searching through the mysterious depths of my overly packed freezer, I discovered this week a bagged plate of frozen leftovers labeled "Paesano P/C with tort". I regularly make meals and freeze them, but oddly I did not remember this one. When I opened it up, I quickly identified the "tort" as "tortellini", but it took a few moments for me to realize that the big brown frozen "PC" glob in the container was ... a Pork Chop! How long has THAT been in there? I had no idea.

Pondering where it came from, I was reminded that just over a year ago I officially made the transition from "part-time meat eater" to "full-time vegetarian". I had been a vegetarian before (see Veggie Tale: Part 1), but did not eat healthy thus I gained a lot of weight. To lose the weight I adopted a healthy carnivore diet. I began running (see Veggie Tale: Part 2), and dropped 40 pounds. (NOTE: If you read Part 2, you'll now need to wait until Part 4 to find out the results of my first marathon).

About two years ago I read a book entitled, "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living", by Rex Rusell, which challenged me to make my fairly healthy diet, even more healthy. The three principles around which the book centers:
1. Eat only substances God created for food. Avoid what is not designed for food.
2. As much as possible, eat food as they were created - before they are changed or converted into something humans think might be better.
3. Avoid food addictions. Don't let any food or drink become your god.

What I found most insightful was his interpretation of the dietary laws in the Old Testament. He demonstrates how these regulations are really God's prescription for healthy eating. Disease (or you could say, "punishment") results when these food principles are violated and not followed. For example, he describes the digestive system of a pig as opposed to a cow. While a cow chews it cud, which gets digested multiple times, a pig eats and what it eats is immediately digested in the stomach. This means that if a pig which as a scavenger eats slop, and then you eat the pig, you've just eaten the scavenged, rotten and diseased slop. Not very clean or healthy, thus the reason for God's prohibition of pork in the diet.

The main applications from the book for me became: (1) Avoid pork and shell fish (which are filters of ocean slop). (2) Avoid refined foods like sugar and white flour. There is more, but I was convicted to incorporate these into my new eating practices, and over the next months, I lost another 5 pounds.

I live at a camp and conference facility where meals are provided for staff members. When I was eating anything, meals were no problem. I'd head to the staff dining hall and eat whatever, which is mostly (I am sad to say), meaty and fatty, with lots of refined foods. Because I was exercising, I was working off the calories and fat. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues do not, and well, I won't go into that. It's been a challenge talking with some of the kitchen staff about nutrition and healthier foods, and challenging them to make changes. They are "old-school" camp cooks.

When I decided to not consume refined foods and not eat pork and shell fish, it created all sorts of "huh?" The kitchen wasn't sure what to do about that, what to make of me. One of my colleagues is a vegetarian, and so are many of the part-time naturalists at camp. The kitchen had figured out how to feed them, but to feed me was confusing. It was easier to tell the kitchen staff that I was cutting back on carbs, and eating vegetarian, though I might eat meat on occasion. As I began to pay attention to the quality of food the kitchen was serving, wanting more whole and natural foods, I began to cut back on meat, and found myself choosing to eat meat once a day, if that.

The turning point in my vegetarian transition came just over a year ago. Because I was eating a 99%vegetarian diet by that time, the kitchen began to forget that I still claimed to be a "partial vegetarian" (or a vegetarian when I didn't want to eat what the kitchen was cooking, which was becoming more frequent). During one meal, I decided to try the meat entry the kitchen had prepared. Seeing my plate, one of the cooks said to me very sarcastically, "Why are YOU eating that? I thought YOU were a vegetarian."

I was shocked and taken aback by her attitude and tone. I don't remember my response, but I played it off. Integrity is important to me (see last's week's blog). And with the integrity of my words and actions questioned, that became the turning point. I decided right after that to cross the line, and admit to myself and tell others, "Yes, I am now a 100% vegetarian. I choose to not eat the flesh of animals or fish."

Though I've had my "oops" moments over the past year, I have not missed eating meat, and I've never looked back. In fact, I moved forward to choosing a vegan life, and even now, I am looking into a raw vegan diet, but that is for another entry in this blog.

The "Paesano P/C with tort" is now out of the freezer, in the fridge as I figure out what to do. I know I will not eat it. I have no desire to eat it. And the thought of eating the pork chop actually repulses me. It's a BIG hunk of dead animal (aka "meat"). I don't like to waste food, but I will probably throw it out. I could eat the tortellini and dump the pork chop. Or I could save it for some meat eater who comes to visit, but probably not, especially after being in the freezer for over 2 years, which is my best guess. I really do need to clean out my freezer more often.