GOOD NUTRITIONAL ADVICE! Tami M. Best, whose “Power of Nutrition” column regularly appears in the Wednesday “Very Well” section of the Democrat and Chronicle, almost always has a good word for vegetarian eating. Her 11/4/09 column is titled “Plant-based diet boosts immunity.” Her 12/2/09 column profiles the Dr.Dean Ornish program of a very low-fat vegetarian diet to reverse heart disease. And in her 1/13/10 column, on healthier shopping practices, Best urges the reader to “plan for at least two meat-free meals each week” and to buy enough fruits and vegetables for each family member to have at least five servings a day.

EVEN DEAR ABBY KNOWS . . . In response to a letter written by a vegetarian who is tired of being teased and challenged by family members and even restaurant staff, Dear Abby urges “Herbivore” to “take comfort in the fact that a growing number of people are choosing to avoid meat and poultry not only for ethical reasons but also because they prefer to avoid the hormones and antibiotics used in the production of these foods.” Democrat and Chronicle, 1/15/10 

VEGETARIAN SCHOOL LUNCHES On October 2, 2008, the Democrat and Chronicle, in the Living section, ran an article on vegetarian school lunch ideas. Here are the suggestions, which the D&C took from one of PETA’s websites, VegCooking.com: 

• Toasted English muffin pizza with tomato sauce, vegan cheese, and your child’s favorite vegetable
• Roll-ups: Soft tortilla spread with vegan cream cheese [e.g. Tofutti] and/or veggie pepperoni and vegetables, rolled up, and cut into pinwheels
• Variation on PB&J: Pack the peanut butter and jelly in separate cups to use as dip for bread sticks, celery, and apple slices
• Pasta salad: Mix tricolor pasta spirals with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and vegan mayo or dressing
• Taco shells or tortillas (either wheat or corn) filled with black beans and brown rice [and salsa!]
• Pitas or mini pitas sliced in half and filled with hummus, falafel, or another sandwich filling, plus veggies
• Vegetarian baked beans with sliced veggie hot dogs.

GOURMET VEG FOOD IN DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER!

The Natural Oasis Café  288 Monroe Ave., 325-1831, Mon-Sat 11:30AM-8PM, Sun 11:30AM-3PM 

City Newspaper, in its October 21, 2009 issue, ran a column praising the high-fat offerings at the restaurant Food at Fishers Station. Canandaigua resident Joel Freedman wrote a letter that made the breakfast menu, including “fried egg dotted brown with bacon drippings, and bright orange cheese,” sound a lot less appealing than in the City review.  Here’s an excerpt from the letter: 

“Also for breakfast, there is nothing like one of the restaurant’s recurring specials: a plate piled high with eggs, sausage patties, and pancakes. . . . All of the above amounts to little more than a recipe for obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, stroke, cancer, and dementia. As a vegan-vegetarian . . . , I may have some biases, but most physicians and dietitians would agree that a low-fat, low-sodium diet rich with vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains greatly reduces one’s risk for developing debilitating, often fatal illnesses. . . . A vegan diet benefits animals, people, and our environment. And most of us who opt for such diets are not depriving ourselves of tasty and nutritious meals.” Freedman then challenges City to send its reviewer to the “many restaurants in the Rochester area that serve delicious, healthy vegan meals.”  

On 1/6/10, City carried the headline “Vegan never tasted better: Natural Oasis.” James Leach, the restaurant reviewer, admits that he was influenced by Joel Freedman’s letter: “given that it’s a new year, that I’m pushing 40, and that I have been hitting the meats and fats a bit harder than usual, I took Freedman’s comments to heart.” Leach decides to “give my ailing innards a break” and check out restaurants offering vegan meals, starting with Natural Oasis: “I struck gold on the first try.” Leach loves the dinner menu at Natural Oasis, “an ever-changing array of inexpensive ($4 a plate), tasty treats created by Chef Nick Bovenzi, formerly sous chef at 2 Vine, the New York Wine and Culinary Center, and most recently, Good Luck.” He says Bovenzi manages “to bring the rich flavor profiles of non-vegan food to a vegan menu.” Here is an example of the food at Natural Oasis: “I turned my attention to a plate of roasted cauliflower, sweet potato, and leeks finished with cilantro, a spritz of lime and olive oil. The cauliflower was tender and slightly browned on the top without being overcooked, while the potato and the leek had both been well caramelized. The lime added a welcome zip to the dish, highlighting the sweetness of the yams.” To his surprise, Leach likes the cashew cheese, which, while “not really cheesy in any proper sense of the word” is “quite tasty in its own right—well-spiced, nutty, and excellent smeared on everything.” Then, for dessert, Leach goes from disappointment at not being able to try a chocolate dessert to near-ecstasy at trying the ginger and cinnamon applesauce with curry: “this dish alone could make a person believe that he can lead a rich and fulfilled life as a vegan.”  

That same week, on 1/7/10, the Democrat and Chronicle devoted the “first bite” column of its Weekend section to the Natural Oasis. It is described as a great place to visit if your New Year’s resolution is to incorporate more vegetarian meals into your diet. The article praises both the lunch menu, which is a buffet of vegetarian Ethiopian dishes, and the dinner menu, with delicious menu items like coconut curry soup served in a squash bowl, squash risotto, and cashew cheese on the menu.

LESS MEAT, BETTER HEALTH That is the title of a short article in Wegmans’s Nature’s Marketplace magazine for May 2009. The article cites a study of more than a half million older Americans, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in March 2009, showing that those who regularly eat lots of red meat and processed meats (hot dogs, bacon, cold cuts) have a higher risk of cancer and heart disease than those who limit consumption of these foods. The article also points out “an added bonus: Plant based diets help reduce global warming because livestock increase greenhouse gas emissions.” 

ATKINS FOR VEGANS  The same Wegmans publication, in August 2009, describes a healthy modification of the Atkins diet, relying on “vegan protein sources, ”which avoids the unhealthy levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in that diet. The article gives the results of a clinical trial, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on 6/8/09, which compared a low-carb, high vegetable vegan protein diet with a high-carb ovo-lact-vegetarian diet. Both dieters lost weight, but those on the vegan diet enjoyed an 8% greater reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as reductions in total cholesterol and blood pressure, both risk factors for heart disease. This vegan variation on the high-protein diet was dubbed “eco-Atkins” by researchers.  

In the National Media

VEGAN ON A BUDGET  Visit www.veganbreak.com, created by recent college graduate Michelle Taylor, for a series of two-minute “bite-sized” videos filled with useful tips on getting the most and best vegan food for your dollar. You can watch Taylor make a whole-grain hummus sandwich for $1.31, or explain her simple rules of thumb for saving money on fruits and vegetables. Let Michelle show you how to eat healthful and delicious vegetarian food without spending too much money. 

MEAT PRODUCTION EMITS THE MAJORITY OF GREENHOUSE GASES On 10/20/09, the highly-respected Worldwatch Institute reported that the environmental impact of the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food has been vastly underestimated and in fact accounts for 51% of human-caused greenhouse gases (GHG). This highlights an even greater problem than the widely-cited 2006 report for the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, which estimated that 18% of GHG were attributable to meat production, more than all forms of transportation combined. It takes over 11 times as much fossil fuel to produce a gram of animal protein as to produce plant protein. The authors of the study say that going meatless is the best strategy for reversing climate change, and would have a more rapid effect on GHG than replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says: “The best solution would be for us all to become vegetarians.” www.worldwatch.org

PLANT-BASED DIET TO PREVENT CANCER  On 11/13/09, the New York Times ran an article about patient non-compliance with drug regimens to prevent cancer (sometimes because of terrible side effects). In a letter to the editor in response to the article, Krista Haynes, a dietitian with the Cancer Project, disputed the article’s suggestion that nutrition plays a minimal role in preventing cancer: “At least one-third of annual cancer deaths in the United States are due to dietary factors and level of physical activity, according to the American Cancer Society. Health-conscious consumers should try a plant-based diet. It’s a simple prescription for cancer prevention, and its ‘side effects’ include weight loss and lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.”

FOOD VS. MOOD  A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on 11/2/09 showed that a diet heavy in processed and fatty foods increased the risk of depression by 58%. In the same vein, omnivore subjects who cut all meat and fish out of their diets experienced mood improvements, in a study presented at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting on 11/9/09.

ANOTHER REASON TO EAT VEGGIES Research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in August 2009 showed that subjects with a high daily intake of fruits and vegetables had both better antioxidant status and higher cognitive performance than healthy subjects with lower daily intake.

PRESCRIPTION FOR BONE HEALTH Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D., author of Building Bone Vitality, advocates a low-acid diet to build and preserve bone health. Acidifying (bad for bones) foods include meat and cheese; alkalinizing (good for bones) include most plant foods but especially fruits and vegetables. The ideal diet recommended by Lanou would be a vegan diet low in processed foods, moderate in grains, high in beans, and very high in fruits and vegetables. Jane Brody profiled Lanou’s book and her program for bone health in an 11/23/09 article for the New York Times.

VEGAN DIETS HEALTHFUL FOR PREGNANCY  Well-planned vegan diets are healthful for pregnant women and their children, according to the American Dietetic Association, the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. A vegan diet offers a number of benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher levels of fiber, folate, and cancer-fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals. Choosing a vegan diet also helps women avoid the unhealthy hormones and environmental toxins found in dairy products. Vegan expectant mothers should be sure to get a source of vitamin B12, in fortified foods such as soy milk, breakfast cereals, and meat analogues (check the label to be sure) or in a daily multivitamin.