Interesting Articles and Essays on Vegetarianism, Veganism, and Conservation
[Posted August 20, 2007]
This article from Best Life Magazine highlights: spinach, yogurt, tomatoes, carrots,
blueberries, black beans, walnuts, and oats. The article points out why each food is so
worthwhile, highlighting effects like sexual enhancement, muscle growth, brain stimulation,
and more. Walnuts, for example, are:
Richer in heart-healthy omega-3s than salmon, loaded with more anti-inflammatory
polyphenols than red wine, and packing half as much muscle-building protein as chicken...
[Posted April 28, 2007]
This March 21, 2007 article from Scientific American talks about how a new study provides
more evidence that animal-derived foods increase the risk of endometrial cancer,
while foods from plant sources reduce it.
The results suggest that it's the source of fat or protein, not the macronutrients
themselves, that is related to endometrial cancer risk.
When I read this, I have to think that it has to be more than just this one type of cancer
that is caused by animal protein.
The United Nations has just released a report entitled
Livestock's Long Shadow
which is interesting in itself but this article provides a nice summary.
— This July 2007 article states that
Americans spent more money last year on bottled water than on iPods or movie tickets:
$15 Billion. A journey into the economics — and psychology — of an
unlikely business boom. And what it says about our culture of indulgence.
This May 19, 2006, article from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel mentions our family!
This is a fantastic article from the September 11, 2006 issue of The Nation in which
current authors weigh in with a wishlist of how they'd improve people's diets. If you don't have
time to read them all, at least check out
Michael Pollan's portion of the article.
America's top pork producer churns out a sea of waste that has destroyed rivers,
killed millions of fish and generated one of the largest fines in EPA history.
Welcome to the dark side of the other white meat. This exposé appeared in the January 19, 2007,
issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
This great article from the New York Times on January 27, 2008 asks: Got vegetables? The days of eating 200 pounds of meat a year may be on the way out.
This is a PDF version of a wickely good essay by Michael Pollan from NY Times Magazine
that was written by Michael Pollan on January 28, 2007. The subtitle sums up just about
everything we believe when it comes to diet:
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Various Articles on the Farm Bill...
- You Are What You Grow
Yet another great article by Michael Pollan. In this article from April 22, 2007, he dissects the upcoming Farm Bill
(which really should now be called a "Food" Bill) with great aplomb.
- Editorial: The Farmer's Nightmare?
This is a great editorial on August 10, 2007 to the New York Times.
Various Articles on Milk, Calcium, and Building Bones...
Various Articles on Protein...
Various Articles on Soy...
There seem to be a lot of questions about soy, especially given that vegetarians rely on it
quite a bit. Below is a sampling of short but informative articles on the topic.
This inspiring Newsweek article by George Will appeared July 10, 2005, and asks "why is cruelty
to a puppy appalling and cruelty to livestock by the billions a matter of social indifference?"
Rabbi Adam Frank answers the question "Rabbi, why are you vegan (abstinence from eating foods that contain animal products)?"
This short article asks "Why is HFCS so much cheaper than cane sugar?" and responds that
"We inflate the cost of sugar, lower the cost of corn, and Archer Daniels Midlands buys an excessive amount of corn at excessively low costs in order to make HFCS."
