The Gobble Green Blog – Articles about a cruelty free lifestyle

Dwight Schrute, played by Rainn Wilson, uses a neti pot in an episode of The Office.

Neti pots use a lukewarm saline solution to clear the nasal passages. For people suffering from allergies or summer colds, neti pots provide a natural alternative to over the counter nasal sprays infused with dangerous chemicals like oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, xylometazoline, and naphazoline. Originally developed by yoga practitioners in India as a purification tool, neti pots are now gaining popularity worldwide. For more detailed information about neti pots, visit http://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinus-pain-pressure-9/neti-pots.

One of Jon Stewart’s recent guests on The Daily Show wasn’t laughing. Robert Glennon, a professor of law and public policy at The University of Arizona and the author of Unquenchable (http://www.amazon.com/Unquenchable-Americas-Water-Crisis-About/dp/1597264369), used his moment on national television to stress the severity of the global water crisis. Although it is difficult for many of us living in the United States, Canada, and the UK to imagine fresh water as a finite resource, the water crisis is already a stark reality for people living in developing nations. Did you know that taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a person living in a developing country slum uses in a whole day? Currently, more than 3.5 million people die each year from water related diseases and young children account for 88% of these deaths.

This ad by UNICEF publicizes that bad water kills more children than war.

Many people cannot comprehend how a water crisis exists when approximately 70% of the earth is covered by ocean. The answer lies in the fact that less than 1% of the world’s water is fresh, safe, and ready for human use. While clean tech companies like Porifera (http://www.poriferanano.com/) and Aquaporin (http://www.aquaporin.dk/) are working towards developing technology to make the desalination process more energy and cost efficient, these applications are not yet ready for mass use and distilling ocean salt water to solve the crisis expediently is not a viable option.

Desalination technology is not an immediate solution for the global water crisis.

The water crisis is beginning to noticeably impact first world nations and, according to Robert Glennon and other preeminent researchers, water conservation is the best way to aid drought ridden areas like California, Arizona, and Nevada. While you can start saving water by making small changes, like running the garbage disposal less frequently and installing efficient showerheads, one of the best ways to conserve water is by adopting a vegan diet. Vegans’ contribution to water conservation is best explained in Peter H. Gleick’s Scientific American article entitled Making Every Drop Count. Gleick writes:

“Growing a pound of corn can take between 100 and 250 gallons 0f water, depending on soil and climate conditions and irrigation methods. But growing the grain to produce a pound of beef can require between 2,000 and 8,500 gallons. We can conserve water not only by altering how we choose to grow our food but also by changing what we choose to eat.”

For more information about how a vegan diet saves water, please visit www.waterfootprint.org. This website offers a quick calculator feature that you can use to figure out your annual water footprint. You will be amazed at the difference between a vegan’s water footprint and an omnivore’s water footprint!

Carrots are usually good for your eyes!

Did you know that the foods you eat have an impact on how well you see? To ensure that your eyes are healthy, it is important to consume plenty of lutein, which guards against macular degeneration and cataracts, and vitamins A, C, B6, and E. Avocados, carrots, broccoli, spinach, kale, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, and garlic are all excellent foods for maintaining optimal eye health. Conversely, overly acidic foods such as red meat, fish, fowl, eggs, sour cream, and cheese are bad for your eyes.

Asthma affects 300 million people worldwide and claims approximately 5,000 lives each year in the United States alone. Most of us know someone affected by this condition and are familiar with the debilitating symptoms, yet few people make the diet changes necessary to keep asthma attacks at bay. Indeed, both Dr. Frank Oski, the chief of pediatrics at the John Hopkins School of Medicine, and Dr. Charles R. Attwood, author of A Vegetarian Doctor Speaks Out, believe that more than 50% of all schoolchildren are allergic to milk and that the consumption of dairy products is responsible for the majority of allergy-triggered asthma cases.

Meat is not an asthmatic’s friend either. The Journal of Asthma published a study conducted at Shou University in Taiwan that found that teenagers who consumed meat were 1.5 times more likely than vegan teenagers to develop asthma. Furthermore, the National Center for Biotechnology Information released the following statement about a similar study conducted at their facility: “Thirty-five patients who had suffered from bronchial asthma for an average of 12 years, all receiving long-term medication, 20 including cortisone, were subject to therapy with vegan food for 1 year. In almost all cases, medication was withdrawn or drastically reduced. There was a significant decrease in asthma symptoms.”

Consumption of dairy products increases a person’s risk of having an allergy induced asthma attack.

People who have or are concerned about developing asthma should speak to a doctor about the benefits of adopting a vegan diet. Gobble Green offers a starter kit with an informational guide and full week of food that will make adapting to a vegan diet delicious and hassle free. Visit www.gobblegreen.com for more information.

Flossing decreases your chance of having a stroke.

If you want to live longer (and make the people you interact with happier), research shows that flossing your teeth can make a huge difference! Dr. Kaumudi Joshipura, a Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard and the Director of the Division of Dental Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico, conducted a famous twelve year study with 41,380 men aged 40 to 75. Male subjects who did not floss regularly had 57% more strokes.  In a separate study, Michael F. Roizen, MD calculated that daily flossing adds an average of 6.3 years to a person’s lifespan. In his book, Real Age, Dr. Roizen writes “Flossing your teeth daily can make your arteries younger. The probable reason: Flossing helps keep your immune system young. The same bacteria that cause periodontal disease also trigger an immune response, inflammation, that causes the arteries to swell. The swelling of the arterial walls results in a constriction of blood flow that can lead to a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease.” Flossing only takes a minute and can make a big difference to your health!

Approximately 22 million Americans are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year. Characterized by severe insulin deficiency, a type 2 diabetes diagnoses frequently precipitates the onset of potentially fatal ailments like coronary artery disease and renal failure. While you can decrease your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes by being physically active and maintaining a healthy body weight, this is a disease that is not always preventable; a genetic component is oftentimes responsible. If you have relatives with type 2 diabetes, you should be aware that you have a higher risk of developing this serious health problem.

Regular physically activity helps to prevent against type 2 diabetes.

So what does a vegan diet have to do with the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes? According to observational studies conducted by the Washington Center for Clinical Research, the George Washington University School of Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, people who have type 2 diabetes or who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes benefit significantly from a vegan diet. Veganism substantially improves glycemic control and, therefore, is one of the most effective weapons against the development and progression of type 2 diabetes. In fact, a vegan diet proved to be more successful in the fight against type 2 diabetes than the diet plans originally recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA)! WebMD first reported this astounding finding with gusto in 2006, stating that “Researchers found 43 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who followed a vegan diet for 22 weeks reduced their need to take medications to manage their disease compared with 26 percent of those who followed the diet recommended by the ADA.” The ADA now hails veganism as one of the most effective weapons against type 2 diabetes.

It is important to recognize when memory loss may be a symptom of a greater problem.

Every now and then we all forget something, whether it’s the location of car keys or the name of an acquaintance. While an occasional memory lapse is nothing to panic about, it is important to know when forgetfulness may be indicative of a health condition. If you experience isolated occurrences when your memory fails but have not had significant trouble following your daily routine, you are most likely suffering from something that is correctable like exhaustion, excessive stress, the wrong combination of prescription drugs, or a B-12 vitamin deficiency. With a doctor’s guidance and a few lifestyle changes, these common causes of memory loss can be quickly mended.

If memory loss is severely impacting your life and occurs in conjunction with problems involving language skills, visual spatial skills and attention, then it is advised that you undergo a professional medical examination immediately. Serious memory loss that happens alongside other cognitive difficulties is a sign that Alzheimer’s disease may be at the root of your problem. Treatment options are available for people with Alzheimer’s disease, but this is an illness that is most effectively combated when caught in its early stages.

Be proactive if you experience regular memory loss and schedule an appointment with your doctor. Regardless of the diagnosis, it is better to be informed and armed with professional medical advice than it is to ignore a festering problem.

The concept of ahisma, which stipulates that people should strive to live in a non-harmful and non-violent manner, is central to the philosophy of yoga. According to a 2008 survey by The Yoga Journal, 7% of Americans regularly practice yoga. The logical conclusion from this poll is that the yogis accounted for in this poll recognize that ahisma is at the heart of the peaceful tradition they are perpetuating and strive to incorporate this principle into their daily lives. However, the reality defies this logic.

Whereas 7% of Americans practice yoga, only 1.3% of the United States population follows a vegan diet. An average American consumes a minimum of 31 animals per year, thereby contributing to the financial success of the violent meat and dairy industries. The contrast between the percentage of yoga practitioners and vegans in America reveals that many people hypocritically ignore yoga’s peaceful philosophy while attempting to reap the physical benefits of a yoga workout. Perhaps a review of the important connection between yoga and veganism throughout history will encourage meat eating yogis to reflect on their ethics and give veganism a try.

Yoga is not just about gaining trim thighs and a lean torso. The practice of yoga is thousands of years old and hails from India. Patanjali, the father of yoga, is believed to have created The Yoga Sutras around 200 B.C. as a means of attaining enlightenment.

In addition to ahisma, which is considered one of the most significant principles of yoga, Pantanjali based yoga’s philosophy on satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (sexual responsibility), aparigraha (non-greed), niyamas (observances), saucha (purity), santosa (contentment), tapas (austerity), svadhyaya (study of self), isvara-pranidhana (open-mindedness), asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breath), pratyahara (sense-withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (contemplation). In the section of his writings entitled Yamas, Pantanjali states that those who practice yoga should refrain from eating meat out of respect for the principles on which yoga is founded.

So why is it that so many yoga practitioners turn a blind eye to Patanjali’s peaceful philosophy? In short, most people dismiss veganism as an option because they believe it will be too much of a hassle and because they lack the discipline to alter ingrained dietary habits. The refusal to adopt a vegan lifestyle is a mistake that causes people to miss out on the philosophical and spiritual benefits of practicing yoga. If people only take heed of asanas (physical postures), then they are not truly experiencing yoga; they are just stretching.

Today there is little reason for yogis not to at least try a vegan diet because there are several programs available to help make the transition to a vegan lifestyle easier. Gobble Green, The Vegan Society, PETA, Vegan Action, and Vegan Outreach all offer support for new vegans. Gobble Green in particular offers a Vegan Starter Kit that includes a week’s worth of food as well as a guidebook to help make vegan living hassle-free. Visit www.gobblegreen.com for more information about this non-violent, environmentally friendly company. Incorporate veganism into your life and enjoy the philosophical side of yoga as well as the physical benefits.

If the physical, ethical, and environmental benefits of a meat-free diet have not yet convinced you that veganism is a worthwhile commitment, then consider that herbivores have higher IQs than omnivores. According to a study conducted with 8,179 subjects at Southampton University, men and women who do not consume meat have IQ scores that are 5 points higher on average than those of their omnivorous peers. Research studies have also shown that children with high IQs tend to adopt and maintain strict meat-free diets as young adults. Dr. Catharine Gale, a principal research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, explains that the correlation between intelligence and veganism can be largely attributed to the simple fact “that brighter children grow up to think more about what they eat” (http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/06/smart-kids-become-vegetarian-adults/). In other words, children who take the time to think about and empathize with their once living meals are less likely to embrace a diet that compromises admirable human qualities like compassion, self-discipline, and a commitment to the greater good.

Children who empathize with animals and reject meat grow up to be more intelligent adults.

Many omnivorous parents are concerned and annoyed when their son or daughter announces a commitment to veganism. After all, feeding a vegan child may involve preparing new dishes, incorporating new foods into the family’s diet, and researching on the internet to find vegan-friendly restaurants. Just remember that these inconveniences will ultimately prove worthwhile since research shows that children who omit meat from their diets are more likely to develop into intelligent and healthy adults. It is also interesting to consider that some of the most brilliant people throughout history have advocated a meat-free diet. There is documentation that Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Mark Twain, and Thomas Edison did not consume meat products. For a more comprehensive list of influential herbivores, please visit http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html.

Some of the most brilliant people throughout history have advocated a meat-free diet.

Analysis of the aforementioned research studies conducted at Southampton University and The University of Edinburgh as well as a look at the many achievements of herbivores throughout history show that a vegan diet not only nourishes the body—it also fuels the mind. Go vegan and get smarter!

Consumers facing an uncertain economic future are slower to part with money for luxuries like bottled water than they once were. Ex-consumers of pricey bottled water need not be concerned about making the switch to faucet water. The Environmental Working Group discovered that bottled water is just as polluted as tap water and that 20% of bottled water actually has higher chlorine levels than California’s state law permits in tap water (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/bottled-water-vs-tap-wate_n_192130.html).  With this finding, it is advisable to save the money you used to spend on bottled water and instead put these dollars towards healthy and delicious Gobble Green meals!