VEGGIE MAN!!

The Veggie Man
 answers your questions every week.

Q: Dear VeggieMan:
I'm trying to find out about canola oil. I hear it's horrible and I hear it's great. I hear it's nasty and I hear that people make the oil organic. Yesterday, I talked to our favorite baker who is no longer using it since he can't verify its "organic-ness" because the seed is genetically modified. Good grief! I've not been using it for a year or so, since I can't seem to find out for sure. Where does it come from and what does it do? Can you help?

Many thanks,
Merrill

A: Welcome to Monsanto's World. Thanks to the explosion of genetically engineered crops across the world (and the pollination and cross-breeding that comes with it), it's virtually impossible to guarantee that canola oil is organic. And as horrible as it sounds, it's likely to get worse. As more crops go GE (like corn), the likelihood of other crops staying organic decreases.

And Monsanto is getting richer -- at the direct expense of organic farmers. Monsanto recently sued Percy Schmeiser, a certified Canadian organic canola farmer, for infringing on their Roundup-Ready canola patent. A neighboring canola crop used the pesticide and it had drifted to Schmeiser's farm. His crop was no longer organic -- and because the neighboring crop was genetically modified, Schmeiser's canola crop is almost certainly genetically modified now, as well. Schmeiser could no longer call his crops organic and, with mounting legal fees, fell under immense financial debt.

But there is hope. Earlier this year, two certified organic farmers filed a class action lawsuit against Monsanto and Aventis, seeking compensation for damages caused by their genetically engineered canola. The claim alleges that GE canola has spread across the prairies and contaminated so many crops that it's virtually impossible to grow organic canola.

Let's hope things improve soon. Monsanto and Avertis are planning on releasing genetically engineered wheat -- something that could devastate organic crops around the world.

For more information, go to www.percyschmeiser.com and purefood.org.

Q:  Hi. I'm Kayla and I'm 15. I want to become a vegetarian but I heard there are many different types of vegetarians. I'm so confused on what way to go. Can you help me?  

A: Howdy, Kayla! Congratulations on your decision to go veggie! There are several types of vegetarians, ranging from those who don't eat or use any type of animal product, to those who eat cheese and eggs.

But it's not important to classify yourself as one or the other. Making a change in your diet and lifestyle is a very personal decision. What some might consider acceptable for vegetarians, others might consider unacceptable. It's a personal choice, and it's one that only you can make. Don't get caught up with definitions; just do what you feel comfortable with and educate yourself on the issues.
Here are the most common "types" of vegetarians:

Ova-vegetarians: They do not eat any type of meat, but do eat eggs.

Lacto-vegetarians: No meat, but do eat dairy products like cheese, milk and yogurt.

Ova-Lacto vegetarians: No meat, but eat both eggs and dairy. This is probably the most common type of vegetarians. It's usually the first step toward veganism.

Vegans: Vegans eat no animal products. Honey and refined sugar are avoided as are silk, leather and fur.

Raw foodists eat only raw food because enzymes are destroyed by normal cooking processes, and fruitarians eat only fruit, seeds, nuts and fruit-like veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers.

Vegan, raw-food and fruitarian diets are considered the best for animals, the environment and yourself. But, again, educate yourself and make a decision you feel comfortable with.

Good luck, Kayla!  


Q: Hi! I am 13, and I want to become a vegetarian. I know that becoming a vegetarian means that I can’t eat any meat products or dairy products. Will I be allowed to eat fish, mayonnaise and eggs? I have my doubts about the eating-eggs thing. Also, is soy milk alright to have?  
Thanks for your time. Shelly

A: Shelly, that is awesome that you’re going vegetarian! You are so cool! Being vegetarian is really cool -- your health is better, you help save animals from cruelty, you do your part helping the environment and you help feed the world. To be veggie is to be cool!

Since it sounds like you might be interested in going Vegan, lemme help with a few brief descriptions.

Vegans are vegetarians who avoid all animal products, including eggs, dairy and honey. Other vegetarians avoid meat products, but sometimes eat eggs, or dairy products like cheese or milk. Vegetarians don’t eat fish.

And, Shelly, soy milk is totally alright to have! It’s delicious! There are dozens of kinds of soy milk to choose from -- from chocolate to vanilla to strawberry. Very nice.

Also, you should probably let your parents know about your newfound vegetarianism. After all, they usually fill the carts at the grocery store, so they need to know what to look for. It would be tough for you to go veggie if there’s nothing in the kitchen but beef hot dogs and turkey chili! Yuck!

To learn more about vegetarianism, check out www.vrg.org, www.peta.com, www.vegfamily.com and www.vegsource.com.

Good luck, Shelly! Lemme know how things go!

Q: I myself have been a vegetarian for about 3 years. I'm 15 so I'm not really all "up-to-date" on how this whole thing works. Every time somebody finds out that I eat no meat, they ask if I eat cheese and milk. I always say that I have to because it's in almost everything.

I know that you can buy all of this special food that doesn't have any milk products in it, but I'm not quite sure if I want to do that. It didn't bother me that I was eating milk products until the boyfriend of my friend Jodi’s sister told me that eating milk products was like raping a cow. I was like “Whoa, OK? That's different.”

But he kept saying that, like I was some sort of criminal. Is not being a Vegan such a horrible thing? I mean I didn't think when they milked the cow it hurt. I was always told if they didn't, then the milk would begin to hurt them. Oh yeah, is it true that they have to get a cow pregnant to get milk from her?

If I would wish to become vegan, how would I go about it? Thank you for reading this because I know you probably get asked the same questions a lot...Bye. 
Keep Smiling, Nicole

A: Nicole, making the decision to go vegetarian or vegan is a deeply personal one. It’s obvious that being vegetarian is an important part of who you are. It’s not just a diet choice; it’s a reflection of your spirit and your sense of compassion. I admire that you’re examining your choices at such an early age. When I was 15, I thought a vegan was an alien species on Star Trek.

Just being vegetarian makes a wonderful impact on the world. You’ll be healthier, you’re helping the environment, and you’re not supporting the cruel animal slaughter industry.

However, it is true that milk cows are treated very cruelly as well. They are kept continually pregnant so that they produce milk. Sadly, their conditions aren’t much different from those animals slaughtered for meat. They’re pumped full of hormones and noxious chemicals, and their udders are usually painfully infected. And when the cows do give birth, the calves are taken from them and put into tiny veal crates. Then, the milk cow is artificially inseminated again, and the process repeats.

A vegan diet is a beautiful expression of your compassion for the earth, yourself, and your fellow animals. But it is a decision that only you can make. For more information, check out PETA, VegSource and The Vegetarian Channel.

Good luck, Nicole!

Q: I try to live as close to a vegan lifestyle as possible (but granted I do slip with cheese and ice cream every now and then). I'm not an activist, and I'm not a "health nut.” I just try to avoid any animal products.

Now here's my question: Whenever someone finds out that I'm a vegetarian, it sparks an instant debate about whether plants feel pain too. Apparently there has been research done stating that when you pick a fruit or vegetable they "scream" with pain.

 This makes no sense to me. I respect Mother Nature as best I can in the world we live in (with recycling and composting, etc.) but this idea of a plant having a nervous system freaks me out. I know they are a living entity and deserve respect and to be nurtured but do they feel pain? Should we put the picking of plants up there with the slaughtering and torture of animals?

Please, can you tell me if this is true?

Yours truly,
peace_nik in OttawaGet

A: Plants cannot feel “pain,” as animals do. They react to stimulus, but don’t have nerve endings or a nervous system to process the information into a sensation like “pain” or “ooh la la.”

Of course, pitch this to a meat-eater, and they’ll likely respond,

‘Oh! Oh! But aren’t animals reacting to stimulus? What’s the difference, huh?”

Well, the difference is that animals have a nervous system, which detects and reacts to external stimulus. When a saw blade cuts through a fully conscious chicken, the screams of agony tell you one thing: that bird is conscious of pain. When you cut a celery stalk, the action isn’t received by any nerve endings, thus the cutting causes no “pain.”

Granted, you could make various philosophical and theoretical debates and arguments on this issue. But debating a plant’s sensation awareness makes no difference in the lives of tortured animals used in the meat processing industry.

The only known vegetables or fruits that scream were found in “The Return of the Killer Tomatoes.” And that was only because of George Clooney.

Q: The question I’m answering this time is one I was recently forced to ask myself: How should an animal rights activist handle a confrontation?

A: A few days ago, my wife and I were walking our dogs to visit a beaver at our pond on the other end of our property here in rural Vermont. On our way, however, we noticed a hunter in the far distance. 

Well, as you can imagine, I wasn't too enthusiastic about a hunter killing Dolly (a deer that frequents our place), so I yelled "No hunting!" out across the hills. This probably wasn't the most diplomatic approach, but I wasn't comfortable confronting a trespassing stranger with a gun!

Well, we said hello to our beaver friend, whose progress on his dam is quite impressive by the way, and went back to our place to start dinner. Then we noticed his truck stop in our driveway. Uh, oh! He got out, walked up to the house and knocked on our door. I got up and answered the door, expecting a nasty confrontation with a man who kills innocent animals for recreation. I was ready for the worst.

But, to my surprise, he immediately apologized for being on our property and for causing any commotion. I told him I felt bad about my lack of diplomacy and the dearth of “No Hunting” signs in the middle of deer hunting season. It was a pleasant, if not awkward exchange.

As he was leaving, however, he said something I'll probably always remember: "Hunters aren't bad people." Then he got in his truck and drove off.

That was a profound lesson for me. Here I was demonizing this guy, but he was polite, courteous and very respectful -- more so than I was. It helped me remember that people are people -- we all suffer, want to be loved and we all have dreams.

The incident reminded me of a quote I had recently read by Thich Nhat Hanh, an exiled Vietnamese Buddhist monk. “It is only with compassion that we can embrace and disintegrate violence.”

As activists, I think it's important that we keep that in mind in confrontations and in everyday life. People, be they hunters or otherwise, are not the enemy; cruelty and ignorance is.

The best way to help animals and environmental causes is to act with love and compassion. After all, if we expect it from others, we should also expect it of ourselves. 

A: Not only is it safer, but it's healthier! Animals used for meat are usually pumped full of harmful chemicals, hormones and steroids. There are more hormones in a hamburger than a teen-age boy on a first date with the school's prom queen.

Also, much of the meat used in soups, for example, is from "downed animals," who were sick or diseased before slaughter. Meat is also high in cholesterol, fat and has been linked to cancer, obesity and heart disease. That's a high price for a burger.

If you eat a varied vegetarian diet, your health should actually improve. Of course, beware: when I first went veggie in college, I became what my mother-in-law referred to as a "junkatarian." My diet consisted mainly of potato chips, Twinkies, crackers, cookies, peanut butter squares and whatever beer was on sale at the local Kwik-E Mart. Not exactly a fulfilling diet, even for a college kid.

But going vegan helped, and learning the right way to eat has done wonders for my health. Veggies who plan their diets get plenty of protein, Amber. Tofu, soy milk, lentils, peanuts, tempeh, bagels, baked beans, peas and spinach all have ample amounts of protein.

Though they don't help with protein, multi-vitamins are good in case you're worried about nutrition.

Q: You’ve probably been asked this and answered it a thousand times. Where do I start? I’m new to this veggie lifestyle and have no clue where to start. Help!

-- Tani P

A: Tani, congratulations on making the move to vegetarianism! Veggiehood is pretty cool -- you improve your health, save animals from cruelty and help the environment. It’s the trinity of vegetarianism.

Of course, becoming veggie can be a lot easier than STAYING veggie because it can be hard to find reliable information and support. As someone new to the lifestyle, you no doubt have trouble in the one place where most people do the most damage to themselves, animals and the environment: the supermarket.

A: Very good question. Excellent question, in fact. Best question I’ve ever gotten. And I’m not just saying that because you’re my mother-in-law and could whack me over the head with a rolling pin, like in Tex Avery cartoons. I’m really not.

“What to feed the vegans?” is a question that dates back to carnivorous cavemen, who, unsure of what to feed their picky vegan friends who were coming for dinner that night, clubbed them with sticks and demanded to know where they got their protein. These were the forerunners to the National Beef Council.

But feeding vegans needn’t be so difficult. Vegan food is plentiful, if you know what to look for. If the vegans you speak of are anything like Veggie Man and Mrs. Veggie Man, here are a few easy-to-prepare, tofu-less suggestions that are sure to delight tastebuds:

Baked potatoes, granola, fruit pies, veggie shishkabobs, salads, vegetarian curry soups, spaghetti marinara, red beans and rice, pine nut couscous, hummus, bean chili, eggplant casserole, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bean burritos, stir-fry veggies, cheese-less pizzas and bean tacos are just a few easy dishes that Mr. and Mrs. Veggie Man would certainly enjoy.

Just leave the rolling pin out of it.

One teaspoon of the green liquid packs 13 calories, 860 mgs of protein, one full gram of dietary fiber, 16 different vitamins, 13 different minerals and 18 amino acids. It’s the Jackie Chan of juices: a little weird at first, but packs a kick. Or Michael Jackson: scary at first, but has lots of energy. Feel free to think of your own punny joke that compares famous entertainers to a vegetable product.

Q: Is Iceberg lettuce really as useless as people say it is? My husband thinks it's healthy.
--A.G. Sacramento, CA

A: Iceberg lettuce seems to have gotten a bad rap. Most people dismiss iceberg lettuce as the nutritional equivalent of Britney Spears: Looks good, but with no substance (Ouch! Did I just write that?).

But, in actuality, a cup of chopped iceberg lettuce gives you a healthy portion of folate (B vitamin that fights birth defects and heart problems), as well as fiber and Vitamin C. Of course, iceberg lettuce doesn’t come close to romaine lettuce, which has twice as much folate and more Vitamin C, fiber and potassium.

Spinach is even stronger, providing a mix of vitamins and minerals matched by few veggies. In short, the greener the leaf, the better it is for you.

Iceberg is a popular salad starter and sandwich filler because of its crisp taste and crunchy foundation. If you like it, there’s no reason not to eat it. But, in terms of nutritional content, reach for the romaine.

Q:  Was Einstein really a vegetarian? -- Kimmie K, California

A:  There is no evidence that Einstein practiced a vegetarian diet. Though many websites list him as a vegetarian, it’s almost impossible to determine without doubt whether the Nobel Prize winner actually went veggie.

But he was certainly a vocal supporter of the then-controversial idea.

He once said, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

In a letter to the “Vegetarian Watch-Tower,” (a veggie journal), he wrote, “It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”

So, even if he didn’t practice vegetarianism in his personal life, his vocal backing gave the vegetarian movement more significance and weight. After all, who could argue with the dude who figured out the freaking universe? Besides meat industry execs, that is...

Q:  I’m sensitive to tofu. What can I do? -- Carmella F, Long Beach, Calif.

A: Being a vegetarian without tofu can be tough, but not impossible. There are plenty of options out there for you, Carmella. In fact, most of your meat-eating friends probably wonder what you eat NOW. My mom still thinks I live on lettuce and mustard. Bless her heart.

Tofu (made from the soybean, of course) is one of about ten million vegetables out there. Though tofu is a popular staple for most veggies’ diets, it’s not the only route to better health.

For breakfast, try granola, dates, figs and fresh fruit, said vegetarian nutrition consultant Bonnie Kumer, RD. Or pancakes with sliced fruit and non-hydrogenated margarine. For lunch, much on hummus in a pita pocket with tabouli salad. Snack time? Whole grain muffins, nut loaves, cookies and corn ships with guacamole.

Marie Callender’s fruit pies are vegan and tofu-free. And they are sinfully good. MUCH better than lettuce and mustard.

Q: Do I need to eat meat to get protein? --Mike G., Menlo Park, Calif.

A: Wow, if veggies had a buck every time we were asked THAT question...

Eating meat for protein is pretty silly. Sure, meat has protein, but it’s usually fortified with globs of cholesterol, fat, pesticides and herbicides.

Truth is, you can get plenty of protein from an animal-free diet. If you eat a reasonably varied diet and ingest sufficient calories, you’ll have no problem getting all the protein you need. You only need about 70 grams of protein daily. The average meat-eater gets five times than that, which can cause osteoporosis and kidney disease.

Practically every veggie food has protein in it, but if you’re still worried, remember this: soy, baby. Soy.

Soy is packed with protein. A single cup of soymilk has nine grams of protein (compared to eight grams in cow‘s milk), a veggie hotdog has about 20 grams, five ounces of firm tofu has a whopping 16 grams, and one cup of tempeh packs 31 grams of protein. And that’s just soy!

Legumes, nuts, seeds, food yeasts and freshwater algae also have plenty of protein. In other words, if you take in a peanut butter sandwich and an occasional pack of sunflower seeds, you’re doing OK.

So, as long as you’re not a crapatarian (as my mother-in-law says), you’ll get plenty of protein.

Q: Will I get all the vitamins I need if I don’t eat meat? --Jeanne D., Bristol, Penn.

A: Again, a healthy, well-balanced diet serves all the vitamins you need. But you can’t just cut the meat and continue to eat the potato chips, soda and candy bars that are often complementary to hamburgers. You, my friend, need to plan ahead. There are many vitamins that are needed to ensure good health.

Vitamin A can be found in dark green veggies, carrots, pumpkins and tomatoes.

Vitamin B is found in nuts, whole-grains, yeast extract, leafy green veggies and potatoes.

Vitamin B12 is found in fortified yeast extracts, soy milks and some cereals.

Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as oranges, berries, green veggies and lemons.

There are numerous vitamins you need for a healthy bod. Mix and match different vegetables, grains and fruits into your diet. If you’re still worried (or pregnant), check out daily multi-vitamins such as Country Life Multi 75.