Immune System, Crucifers & Cancer, Beans, Catalogs, Teen Nutrition & Books, Media
December 5, 2007

Hello Boston Vegetarian Society listmembers,

 

Save January 1 for our annual New Years Day banquets! We'll have two seatings - Noon and 3 PM.  Details will be sent soon.

 

1)  Festival Feedback
2)  Volunteers Needed for Fun Time Helping Animals
3)  Eat-Right Plan to Fortify Your Immune System
4)  Cruciferous Veggies - How They Fight Cancer
5)  Eating Beans Helps Lower Cholesterol
6)  Saving the Environment One Catalog at a Time
7)  Veg-friendly Campuses, Teen Nutrition, Books for Veg Teens
8)  Thanksgiving Follow Up - Two Media Picks

 

1)  FESTIVAL FEEDBACK

 

It was fun to see this tagged at the end of an inquiry we got the other day...

 

"Oh, and that Boston Vegetarian Festival was absolutely amazing! I don't know if you had anything to do with it, but it was possibly the best festival I've ever been to. And that includes music festivals." - Robert Stark

 

 

... and to have this unexpected encounter while on a late-night dog walk...

 

A group of young guys was exiting a bar/restaurant as I walked by.  One said, "Are you with BVS?"  Yes.  "I went to your festival and became a vegan!" he said with a big smile and a high five.

 

 

 

2)  VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR FUN TIME HELPING ANIMALS

 

We have secured two great shifts wrapping gifts at Borders Books (cr. School St. and Washington St. downtown Boston), all proceeds going to Animals Asia Foundation.  This nonprofit has been effective in tackling some big issues (bear bile farming, dog meat markets) in Asia.
http://www.animalsasia.org

 

It's a lot of fun at very busy hours, and we need volunteers to wrap -- and there are non-wrapping helpers needed, too!  Hit Reply if you can help.

 

 

 

3)  EAT-RIGHT PLAN TO FORTIFY YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

 

CNN Report
November 14, 2007

 

"Nutrition plays an important part in maintaining immune function," explains George L. Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the division of nutrition at Harvard Medical School. "Insufficiency in one or more essential nutrients may prevent the immune system from functioning at its peak."  Fruits, veggies, vitamins, phytochemicals, amino acids, and yes, green tea...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/11/14/cl.best.defense/index.html

 

 

 

4)  CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES - HOW THEY FIGHT CANCER

 

ABC News
November 20, 2007

 

Cruciferous vegetables include the cabbage family, some greens, and even a few root vegetables.  They contain natural substances called glucosinolates that break down to form compounds that appear to fight off cancer in several ways.  This ABC News report explains the several mechanisms by which these compounds act to defend against cancer.  It goes on to suggest preparation tips to maximize the benefits and minimize the bitter taste of these nutrition powerhouse veggies, named "crucifer" because they have four-pointed flowers in the shape of a cross.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/story?id=3892293&page=1

 

 

 

5)  EATING BEANS HELPS LOWER CHOLESTEROL

 

Journal of Nutrition
November 28, 2007

 

Consuming as little as one-half cup of cooked dry beans every day helps lower total cholesterol levels.  A new study - by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service - is published in the Nov. Journal of Nutrition and confirms earlier research findings.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/071128.htm

 

 

 

6)  SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT ONE CATALOG AT A TIME

 

The environmental action group Natural Resources Defense Council's BioGems campaign defends our planet's most endangered wild places and imperiled wildlife.  They write, "Each year, giant paper companies liquidate enormous tracts of North America's endangered forests to produce more than 19 billion paper catalogs. Now, thanks to Catalog Choice, you can help curb this destruction by barring unwanted catalogs from your mailbox."

 

It's a free service, too!  Check out http://www.catalogchoice.org and
http://savebiogems.org

 

 

 

 

7)  VEG FRIENDLY CAMPUSES +TEEN NUTRITION + BOOKS FOR VEG TEENS

 

Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges 2007

 

New England fared well with three of the top 10 ranked veg-friendly colleges in the U.S.:  Boston University, Yale, and Brown
http://peta2.com/college/c-vegschools-winners07.asp

 

For others, here are tips on making your campus more veg-friendly:
http://peta2.com/college/cyc-veganize.asp

 

 

 

Teen Nutrition:

 

Care and Feeding of the Vegetarian Teen
by The American Institute for Cancer Research
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/veg_teen.html

 

Vegetarian Nutrition for Teenagers
by Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/teennutrition.htm

 

Articles of Interest for Vegan Teens
http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-teens/index.htm

 

 

 

Recommended Books for Veg Teens:

 

Vegetables Rock!: A Complete Guide for Teenage Vegetarians
by Stephanie Pierson
A detailed but easy-to-read primer covers everything from nutrition, to social situations, to navigating the school cafeteria, plus 73 tempting recipes

 

The Teen's Vegetarian Cookbook
by Judy Krizmanic
Easy recipes using common ingredients for everything from breakfast to desserts and "fast foods",  complete menus, nutrition chart, helpful tips, substitutions

 

Munchie Madness - Vegetarian Meals for Teens
by Dorothy Bates, Bobbie Hinman, Robert Oser, and Suzanne Havala
120 quick and easy recipes for every dining occasion come each with a nutrition breakdown, and the Veg Nutrition Primer for Teens is a gem

 

 

 

8)  THANKSGIVING FOLLOW UP

 

Two media items appeared after the last eNews that are too good to not mention.

 

*  Politically Incorrect comedian, best-selling author, and HBO star Bill Maher wrote this forthright piece before Thanksgiving:

 

Bush Should Pardon All of the Turkeys
Posted November 20, 2007
New Rule: The president can't pardon just one or two turkeys this Thanksgiving. He's got to let them all go.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/george-bush-pardon-all-t_b_73574.html

 

 

*  The New York Times carried a front page story about turkey rescue on Thanksgiving Day, with photos of turkeys getting loving care.  “I instantly, totally fell in love," says one adopter, "and now I just want to stay home with them.”  The timing and placement of such a story is an indicator of progress in the media attention for farm animal issues.

 

The article includes an update to the info in our last eNews about where the pardoned White House turkeys now go (to Disneyland) where they "star as grand marshals in the park’s Thanksgiving Day parade. They will then reside in a live-animal exhibit."  It continues,  

 

"Whether the turkeys come from a shelter or the White House, they don’t live very long. Most adopted turkeys are commercially bred broad-breasted whites, genetically disposed to grow to a marketable size in about four months. Even on a diet of only a couple of cups of turkey feed a day [which leaves them constantly hungry], they become obese. They usually develop leg problems, congestive heart failure and arthritis."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/dining/22turkey.html

 

 

Hope something here has been useful to you!