Vegan Street - In the Media

Newsweek takes in in-depth look at childhood obesity

Newsweek Reports Pigment in Fruits and Vegetables May Reduce Cancer, Heart Disease, Arthritis

Chicago Sun-Times Talks About Teen Vegetarianism

The July 3 issue of Newsweek contains a feature article on childhood obesity ("Generation XXL"), and although it doesn't have a lot of depth or much resonance, it is an accessible article for middle-of-the-road Americans and it should raise some warning signals. Some of the factoids dispensed:

* The government estimates that some 6 million American children are now fat enough to negatively impact their health and an additional 5 million are not far behind. The percentage of overweight children in America has doubled since the 1960s.

* Children who are overweight or obese have a high likelihood of continuing this pattern as adults. The illnesses related to obesity - diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers - claim an estimated 500,000 Americans a year and cost us $100 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity.

* Overweight children are now seen with fatty liver - a precursor to cirrhosis - sleep apnea, and, alarmingly, type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes, until recently only seen in people over the age of 40.

* Columbia University researchers found that overweight children as young as 3 and 4 showed signs of elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. Dr. William Dietz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, "There's a lag between the development of obesity and the chronic diseases associated with it. We're in that trough right now. Very soon we'll see the rate of cardiovascular disease among teenagers rising."

Who or what is to blame for this? The article points to a number of factors that contribute to obesity among American children: Too much TV, too little exercise, genetic predisposition, too few home cooked meals and too many high-fat, calorie-ridden, super-sized meals at fast food restaurants. And as journalist Geoffrey Cowley points out, many schools now feature soda and snack machines on premises, as well as on-site outlets for fast food chains. The food that is loaded with empty calories in the form of saturated fat, salt and sugar is not only cheap, but highly accessible.

The solution? The article mostly points to parental involvement as key to breaking unhealthy patterns. The problem I had with this is while I wholeheartedly agree that parents should take time to exercise with their children to make it more fun and more of a family activity, there was no acknowledgment of how parents need to develop healthy eating and lifestyle habits for themselves in order for children to learn from their example. Parents need to prepare fresh, good-tasting meals and have healthy snacks within reach so that when a child is craving a snack, he grabs a peach instead of a Butterfinger. When a parent takes an active role in laying a foundation of good health and smart choices, that is something that a child will have for a lifetime. Newsweek would have been smart to focus on holistic prevention instead of cures.

Newsweek Reports Pigment in Fruits and Vegetables May Reduce Cancer, Heart Disease, Arthritis

The December 6 issue of Newsweek had an article about the recent discovery by researchers that the pigments of many fruits and vegetables can reduce cancer and heart-disease risk, as well as ease the pain of arthritis. Tart cherries, for example, offer arthritis sufferers 10 times the anti-inflammatory relief of aspirin, without upsetting the stomach. Vibrantly hued plants, such as blueberries, tomatoes and spinach, are also potent antioxidants, which could guard against age-related declines in memory and coordination. Spinach, rich in the pigments lutein and zeaxanthin, is apparently quite good for protecting one's vision. In epidemiological studies, those with the highest intake of lutein and zeaxanthin had a 40 to 45 percent reduced risk of developing macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

This is just the very tip of what scientists are discovering. Among other findings: the alpha and beta carotene in cantaloupe, pumpkins and carrots can help prevent lung cancer; the pigment cryptoxanthin in mangoes, oranges, and papayas have been shown to decrease the risk of cervical cancer; the lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit help prevent prostate cancer. In fact, researchers for one Harvard study tracked 48,000 men for six years and found that those who consumed the most tomatoes and tomato products were up to 45 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer.

In general, the more colorful the food, the more benefits one reaps from the food. Elizabeth Ward of the American Dietetic Association said, "Fill up your plate with as many colorful foods as you can. Think variety and color." Researchers are saying that the best preventative medicine could be a diet featuring a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables, preferably five to nine servings a day.

Interestingly, not one animal product was promoted in the article as having the potential to reduce cancer, heart disease or arthritis pain. Hmm...

As reported in the New York Times on November, 12, some of the world's biggest biotechnology companies are launching an expensive and vast campaign to discredit their critics and stem what they consider a rising wave of anti-biotech sentiment. Earlier this year in Europe, manufacturers and distributors of genetically engineered seeds have seen a large consumer-based uprising against their products, and those opposed to genetic engineering have even gone so far as to destroy test plots of altered crops. Opponents of genetic engineering have also fostered a growing distrust throughout much of Europe of what is known as "Frankenstein" foods.

The European concern about genetically altered food took the biotech and farming industries by surprise, and corporate executives are now anticipating a grassroots effort in the U.S. forged largely by environmentalists to at least match the fervor of European consumers and activists. Until recently, the leading biotechnology corporations, like Monsanto, Du Pont, and Novartis A.G., were unlikely to respond to criticism or questions regarding genetic engineering. Now, however, biotech executives are beginning to sense the growing concern, and are going to launch an aggressive spin-control campaign. The biotech giants have formed a series of industrywide alliances and ear-marked tens of millions of dollars for organizing "educational" forums, and lobbying legislators, regulators and farm organizers. They have also retained major PR agencies including the notoriously greenwashing powerhouse Burston-Marsteller to help put a friendly face on what many view as a cold, indifferent industry. It's interesting to note when consumer resistance was at about the level in Europe that it is currently in the U.S., the biotech companies launched a similar PR campaign. The Europeans didn't buy it, and it inadvertantly launched the huge resistance movement that has virtually made genetic engineering synonymus with poison forced upon Europe by greedy American-based multinational corporations. Stay tuned for America's reaction.

In the Chicago Sun-Times food section, there were two articles of interest to vegans. The first one, "Teens Veg Out", was the main piece, and it focused on the growing population of teenage vegetarians (a recent Roper poll found that 11 percent of girls aged 13 to 17 ate no meat; also, some 15 percent of American college students reported that they eat vegetarian meals at school). In general, the article was quite positive, with nutritionists confirming the safety of adopting a meatless diet. Also, several dietitians pointed out the importance of parents allowing their teenagers to explore a vegetarian diet without turning the dinner table into a battleground. The writer approached the topic respectfully and with an open mind.

Also in the Sun-Times food section was an article entitled "New Weapons in the War Against Cancer"; in this piece, primarily the foods that comprise a plant-based diet, items like crucifers, soy products, garlic, whole grains, were touted. Those interested in cancer prevention were urged to eat a wide variety of these foods.

Melanie Polk, a registered dietitian was quoted as saying, "If we were to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, we could decrease cancer incidence by as much as 20 percent."

Finally, although fish was recommended for its omega-3 fatty acids, the writer of the article pointed out that the same fatty acids could be aquired by canola or flaxseed oil.

There was a short article in the August 3, 1999, edition of New York Times, regarding the increased sales of soy protein infant formula compared with cows' milk. Partly driven by the growing interest in pursuing more of a plant-based diet, soy formula is also on the rise because of a desire to reap the health benefits of phytoestrogens available through soy products.

Dr. Kenneth Setchell of the U. of Cincinnati College of Medicine said he promoted soy consumption because in countries where it is eaten in large quantities, "the incidence of hormone-dependent diseases like breast cancer and prostate cancer are very low." He also said, "We know that what you eat early in life has a big effect on later health... We know that in the adult model they clearly have anti-cancer effects."

For those who receive the Chicago Tribune, it is. In the weekly cooking supplement, under the Health Watch section, there was an article introducing many to that most meat-like of meat anaolgs, the often-delectable and sometimes misunderstood wheat protein seitan. David Lipschutz, the owner of one of Chicago's most venerable all-vegetarian restaurants, Blind Faith, was quoted abundantly in the piece, mentioning its versatility, growing availability and popularity.

Those of us who have been vegetarian for a while remember when tofu was considered exotic and inaccessible. Tempeh? Positively freakish. For the last few years, though, the mainstream, at least as far as the media is concerned, seems to be growing ever-more aware of the possibilities that exist outside of eating meat at every meal. What's next? Anarchy? Mayhem? V-v-v-vegetarianism?

Once again, The Chicago Sun-Times food section printed a centerpiece article that was devoted entirely to touting the benefits of a diet based on fruits and vegetables. Primarily what was focused on was the presence of phytochemicals in plant foods, like lycopenes in tomatoes, genistein in soybeans and catechin in berries. Phytochemicals scavenge cancer causing free radicals; they also bind to estrogen receptors, which may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, and phytochemicals induce enzymes that disarm cancer-causing chemicals and eliminate them from the body. The article stressed the importance of eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and getting the most out of phytochemicals by consuming fresh produce, rather than supplements. Interestingly enough, while looking through the food section, I didn't spot any articles with dietitians urging the American public to consume more cholesterol or fat. Hmm...

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled
1 mango, peeled and sliced
1 cup ice cubes
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 cup vanilla soy milk

Add all ingredients into a blender and let it whirl colorfully for about 20 seconds. Pour and enjoy!

Three times in the last month, vegetarian articles have been featured prominently in the food section of the Chicago Sun-Times. None of the articles were flawless, but all, appearing in the weekly supplement of a major newspaper, help familiarize the mainstream and uninitiated with meatless dining. In addition, the fact that these articles have been published is an acknowledgment that the vegetarian lifestyle has generated some interest.

The first article, in the February 26 "Weekend Plus" section, offered mini reviews of several Chicago veg restaurants, as well as reviews of veg options at meatier joints. Nice reviews of the Chicago Diner, Karyn's Fresh Corner and Chowpatti were somewhat undermined by food critic Pat Bruno's insistence, in an apparent attempt of defending his manhood, that he loves his meat, "a hefty T-bone has my name on it" (for better veg reviews click here).

The second article, which appeared on March 17, was entitled "Stir it up: A Vegetarian Dad Balances Kids' Fun and Health", and it was printed along with a large photo on the front page of the food section of a wok filled with colorful vegetables and tofu. The article was mainly about a man who is a stay-at-home dad to his two children, and the meatless meals he prepares for the whole family. He emphasized the importance of being creative to keep the culinary interest of children, in addition to remembering that kids will go through different stages of development, and they often like simple meals before graduating to more complex and spicy foods. The flaws of the article? It didn't address his motivation behind his vegetarianism (he admits that the kids aren't entirely veg, though they seem to prefer it), and the author and the interview subject made certain to emphasize that he was "normal", in other words, not vegan. The merits of the article outweighed the faults, though: there was a nice sidebar about the Great American Meatout, which gave some ideas for making the transition to vegetarianism; there were two vegan recipes (although, to be considered with the list of flaws, one offered the option of using chicken instead of tofu); and in general made vegetarianism more accessible to the average reader.

The third article was a bit more unfavorable than the previous one. It appeared on March 24, and addressed the proliferation of soy-based meat analogs, like bacon, hot dogs and sausages, that have been a staple of natural foods stores for years but have started appearing in more mainstream grocery chains over the last few years. Basically, the writer repeated a lot of the same tired clichés regarding soy products that vegetarians often hear, calling most "bland" and "peculiar" (and eating a cow's tongue isn't peculiar?). Ultimately, the article was a mixed bag: although a lot of it was spent slamming the taste, texture and sometimes even color of most meat analogs, a fair amount of space was spent addressing the health benefits of soy, such as its ability to lower cholesterol, as well as reduce the risk of osteoporosis and certain cancers. Also acknowledged inside the article was that the soy products industry is a growing market, especially amongst those who crave familiar foods but still want to make some dietary changes. All in all, despite any negativity generated by the piece, we in the vegetarian movement should consider it a victory when a fairly conservative newspaper deems aspects of our lifestyle worthy of prime space in their publication. We're doing something right.

Reader's Digest (!) Touts a Veggie Diet
Reader's Digest, that stodgy bastion of 1950's style meat-and-potatoes conservatism, has become militantly vegan! All right, not quite, but when you pick up the January 1999 issue, as John of Vegan Street did while visiting family during Christmas, you'll find that the lead article is entitled, "Tasty Foods That Shed Pounds," and you might be pleasantly surprised. Although it doesn't go so far as to advocate a strictly plant-based diet (predictably, items such as turkey dogs and lower fat dairy products are mentioned), the author did recommend moving more in that direction. We think that if an unabashedly mainstream magazine such as Reader's Digest is even remotely interested in touting the virtues of a plant-based diet, it can only mean progress for our movement.

Rolling Stone and Newsweek Start to See the Light
We have been seeing a quite a bit of evidence lately that the mainstream media is slowly catching on to some of the benefits of vegetarianism. Recent articles in two major magazines have ripped apart both the fast food industry and the meat-intensive standard American diet.

There were two articles recently printed in Rolling Stone magazine, wonderful examples of how the mainstream media is beginning to finally uncover the truth about the fast food industry.

Both articles were written by Eric Schlosser; they appeared in issues RS794 and RS800 respectively. The first article, titled "Fast Food Nation: The True Cost of America's Diet," largely focuses on the grossly exploitive labor practices of which fast food chains, in particular McDonald's Corporation, are notorious. Fast food employees are the largest group of low-paid workers in the U.S. The actual value of their wage is twenty-seven percent lower than it was in 1968; 90 % of fast food employees are crew members who receive no benefits and are restricted from working over 40 hours a week so they can't earn overtime. On the other hand, managers are salaried, and because the Fair Labor Standards Act mandates that they are exempt from collecting overtime, they are the ones who work it. This might help explain why the turnover rate in the fast food industry ranges from 200 - 400 percent annually. It's not surprising to note that this industry is not content merely exploiting animals and the environment; they extend the same attitude toward humanity.

The second article, in issue RS800, is titled "Meat and Potatoes: From Slaughterhouse to Styrofoam, the Dark Side of the American Diet," and it delves deeper into the reality of factory farming: the rapaciously acquisitive agribusiness companies, the heightened risk of meat contamination due to current slaughtering methods and lack of governmental intervention. It also gives readers an inside view onto the killing floor of a slaughterhouse. The world he reports back to us is bleak at best. Schlosser addresses how the factory farm industry preys upon the indigent and desperate; usually immigrants, often illegal. Meatpackers are paid poorly, have the highest injury rate of any occupation in this country, and are given insurance only after six months of employment, knowing that the turnover rate makes it unlikely they'll stay that long. The risk of meat contamination is incredibly high: one slaughtered animal infected with E. coli, which is frequently found in manure samples at feedlots, can affect 32,000 pounds of meat because of the way that ground beef is processed. He describes the barbarism inside the slaughterhouse with chilling detail, from describing the way a knocker (the person who shoots the cattle with a captive bolt stunner) misses a few times and has to shoot again, how a steer who has been stunned is shackled onto a chain and lifted into the air, only to fall and get his head stuck in a conveyer belt. Although Schlosser was appropriately shocked and revolted by what he saw, it should be noted that his experience didn't cause him to stop eating meat. Indeed, he ended the article by eating a hamburger, "big and oval, smothered in mushrooms and cheese," at a restaurant. On the positive side, he did offer a well-researched series of articles, persuasive enough to perhaps make some people question the industry that they are supporting.

At Newsweek, the lead story of the November 30, 1998 issue was "Cancer and Diet - Eating to Beat the Odds: What You Need to Know." The timing of this article was quite propitious considering that it appeared during the week of Thanksgiving, the holiday that has a large bird carcass as its centerpiece. Newsweek is a conservative publication; anyone expecting an uncompromising plea for worldwide veganism would have been disappointed. However, Newsweek did present to mainstream America the findings that the pioneers in the field, such as Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. John McDougal and Dr. T. Colin Campbell have long held: that the Western high fat, high protein and low fiber diet is killing us. Less affluent countries, such as Thailand and Sri Lanka, where people eat far lower on the food chain, have a minuscule cancer rate compared to that of the United States. Population studies, such as the mammoth China Health Project conducted by Dr. Campbell, have consistently linked a high intake of plant foods to a low risk of cancer. While the Newsweek article was very positive in the sense that most of those interviewed and quoted advocate a diet far more similar to a vegan's than a meat eater's, one of the conclusions that they draw is that we should eat more fish, particularly cold water varieties, like mackerel, salmon, and tuna. The reason for this is that the omega-3 oils found in fish seem to be tumor inhibitors. Fortunately, it was pointed out that omega-3 oils are also found in common vegetable oils, such as canola, walnut and particularly flaxseed.

Another concern centers around several references to conclusions drawn from animal research. As those educated about vivisection know, it is not only absolutely brutal to animals, but riddled with errors; we cannot extrapolate that what causes or inhibits tumors in mice would have the same effect on humans. Balancing the positives and negatives of this article, though, Newsweek presented to mainstream America some very good information to augment the tide of recent findings in the area of food and health. Despite the mistakes that weakened their overall message, we at Vegan Street applaud Newsweek for their efforts in gently steering its readers to a healthier, more compassionate diet.

* Viewers of the ABC hit show "Dharma & Greg" on Nov. 25 were treated to a message urging them to "have a veggie happy Thanksgiving".

* The aforementioned issue of Newsweek (November 30, 1998) contained a blurb in their Perspectives section about Turtle Island Foods' Tofurky, quoting an employee, "Since we didn't have the anatomy of an animal to worry about, we decided everyone can get a drumstick" ( Tofurky, which is made from tofu and seitan, has four drumsticks).

* The November 11th issue of the Chicago Sun Times ran an article entitled, "Market shows vegetarian is in" that quoted these wonderful statistics as proof that "one thing's abundantly clear: meatless has gone mainstream":

"Marketing Intelligence, a new product reporting firm, predicts more than 93 new items with either vegetarian or meatless in their names will debut by year's end," a number you might want to trot out the next time somebody asks "What do you eat?"

Also, "A recent Gallup poll confirms that each week another 13,000 people quit eating red meat cold turkey." (Unfortunately, most of them probably are still eating turkey, cold or otherwise, but we think it is a step in the right direction).

* An Associated Press story out of Washington lets us know that despite the best efforts of celebrities who happily paint cow lactation on their faces, all those milk mustaches have not added up to increased consumption. In fact, the Agriculture Department's inspector general has recommended suspending the $110 million-a-year campaign until the federal board and department responsible for the campaign can improve their management of it. Even though government auditors require it, the 4-year-old ad campaign, which costs consumers nearly 2 cents a gallon, has never been evaluated for its efficacy.

Milk consumption has been declining steadily for three decades, dropping from 35.5 gallons a year in 1966 to 26.2 gallons in 1997.

We want to start a regular column of all the great things the media reports about vegetarianism, and we'd love to enlist the help of you compassionate net-surfers out there. If you find an article with a positive veg message please e-mail it to us.