The Gobble Green Blog – Articles about a cruelty free lifestyle

Stay hydrated to reduce your chance of getting a painful muscle cramp.

Outdoor activities like walking, jogging, and bike riding make staying physically fit an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, fun in the sun can quickly morph into pain if you don’t remain hydrated. In addition to potentially inducing a dangerous illness like heat stroke, dehydration is oftentimes the cause of sudden muscle cramps. Avoid muscle discomfort when you are outdoors by drinking lots of fluid two hours prior to exercising and by drinking regularly throughout your work-out.

Approximately 2,500 people die from heart disease every day. In the UK, heart disease is responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths. Cardiovascular illness is the number one cause of death in the United States, claiming an average of 900,000 American lives each year. According to Dr. Robert Califf, vice chancellor for clinical research at Duke University Medical Center, there’s just no doubt about it. “It’s far and away the most likely reason that you or I will die,” says Califf. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce your risk of developing a potentially fatal cardiovascular illness. Although some people are genetically pre-disposed to heart disease, most of us can control our cardiovascular health with a healthy diet and regular exercise. So what is the best diet for optimal heart health? A vegan diet, of course!

Don’t become a statistic! Go vegan and exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy.

A vegan diet is ideal for preventing cardiovascular disease. Neal Barnard, M.D., who is President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and author of Turn off the Fat Genes, says “If you change to a vegan diet, and do it very vigorously, you have enormous power. You can reverse heart disease. You can prevent it.” The reason a plant based diet is so effective at preventing heart disease is because it is devoid of cholesterol and low in saturated fat. Whereas the average cholesterol level of omnivores in the United States is 210, American vegans have an average cholesterol level of 133. Most doctors consider having a cholesterol level of less than 150 to be the key to avoiding a heart attack. Therefore, even if you have already been diagnosed with atherosclerosis and are at high risk for a heart attack or other serious cardiovascular episode, you can drastically decrease the likelihood of becoming a heart disease fatality statistic by adopting a vegan diet immediately. In 1995, the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reported that “Patients fed a vegan diet during an intensive 12-day live-in program experienced an average reduction of 11% in total cholesterol levels. Most patients also lost weight and had improved blood pressure levels.” This study proves that a vegan diet makes an enormous difference for heart health. If just twelve days of vegan eating can reduce a person’s cholesterol level by 11%, imagine what a lifetime commitment to a plant-based diet will do for your cardiovascular health and overall wellness.

Smiling is healthy!

Smiling doesn’t just make you more approachable and attractive. It actually makes you healthier! Studies have shown that smiling boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, and releases endorphins that cause a general feeling of well being. Additionally, smiling combats aging, since a smile exercises facial muscles and prevents against skin drooping. Try smiling more to look younger, feel better, and be healthier!

There is an ongoing debate as to whether or not soy is healthy. Critics claim that soy interferes with thyroid function, increases the body’s need for B12, and contains high levels of aluminum which can be detrimental to the kidneys and nervous system. Soy advocates, on the other hand, say that soy lowers cholesterol, has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, and effectively strengthens the bones to prevent against osteoporosis. Which side is right? Should you consume or avoid soy products for optimal health?

Soy is a safe dietary staple...in moderation.

The truth is that, while soy is not a miracle food, it is a healthy addition to a diet if consumed in moderation. For vegans and vegetarians, soy is an invaluable source of high quality protein that is rich in iron, zinc, and calcium. When eaten two to five times per week, soy reduces the risk of heart disease, improves bone health, helps to control diabetic symptoms, and has been shown to guard against digestive system cancers such as colon, rectal, and prostate cancer. Soy critics do have some valid concerns, however. In Western countries, soybeans are heavily sprayed with pesticides, which have been shown to affect the nervous system by interfering with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Further, soy foods can disrupt the function of the thyroid gland, so people who have or who are predisposed to developing thyroid conditions do need to take extra precautions when adding soy to their diets.

Ultimately, the verdict on soy is that it is like any other food. In moderation, soy is a delicious and nutritious part of a well balanced diet. In excess, soy may prove more harmful than beneficial. Be sure to exercise portion control when you consume soy to realize this food’s many health benefits without experiencing negative side effects.

Spice up your menu to improve your skin!

If you want to do something great for your skin, try spicing up your menu! According to Leslie Baumann, M.D., many spices contain powerful antioxidants that help guard against skin damage caused by sun exposure. Turmeric and ginger are two particularly noteworthy spices that have been found to decrease the production of cancerous skin cells. This week, instead of playing it safe with your Gobble Green order, try some of our spicy dishes like Aloo Matar, Spicy Chili, and Stuffed Red Peppers!

Did you know that Bernie Madoff, the man behind the largest investor fraud scheme in history, is still swindling from behind bars? This time, taxpayers are shelling out major bucks so that Bernie Madoff and other prisoners can receive kosher meals in federal jail upon request. Kosher meals for prisoners cost the law-abiding population big time; this service requires having kosher cooks and a separate kosher kitchen at facilities with inmates who are, purportedly, religious. Perhaps these miscreants should have contemplated their religious creeds, morals, and special dietary needs before committing federal crimes.

Bernie Madoff is costing you money now.

When Ira Black, the guitarist for the popular metal band Lizzy Borden, was sentenced to prison in Los Angeles for a misdemeanor, he went on a hunger strike because he has been a vegan for fifteen years. Most prisons do not offer special meals for vegans or vegetarians and Ira Black refused to eat the heavy meat and dairy diet that was provided during his incarceration. Whereas self-declared religious felons demand and receive more costly kosher meals that must be prepared separately in a publicly funded kitchen, vegans are expected to give up their principles and consume animal derived products while serving time.

The truth is that it is inefficient and discriminatory for dietary exceptions to be made for prisoners regardless of the reason. All inmates should be treated equally. We should be serving cost-efficient and eco-friendly meals to all prisoners. After all, why should society pay the extra costs of catering to specific felons? Prisoners should be offered nutritionally sound meals that do not cost taxpayers an arm and a leg. If you break the law, you should be aware that there is one set meal plan for all inmates regardless of religion, credo, or principle.

Idaho’s prison system currently offers the most vegetarian and vegan meal options.

A vegan menu should be the only option available in prison. What???! Didn’t this article just argue that all prisoners should be treated equally? Why should Ira Black’s vegan diet be served while Bernie Madoff’s kosher requests go ignored? The answer is simple. The decision to serve vegan meals in prison is one that is based on the best interests of society as a whole rather than the wishes of individual prisoners.  The most fiscally and environmentally responsible diet to give prisoners is one devoid of animal products. Here are a few reasons why an exclusively vegan meal plan in prisons would positively impact society as a whole:

-Plant-based vegan ingredients like beans are more affordable than meat products, especially when purchased in bulk.

- Mandatory vegan meal plan in prisons will improve the environment by decreasing demand for products from the meat and dairy industries, which are responsible for 18% of the Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions.

-There was a trial program implemented at the Victor Valley Medium Correctional Facility in Adelanto, California which found that violence dropped significantly among inmates who were switched to a vegan diet.

- An increased demand for vegan meals reduces violence against animals by the meat and dairy industries.

-According to the American Dietetic Association, vegans and vegetarians are less prone to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity than meat-eaters. Switching prisoners to a plant-based meal plan will save the prison system a great deal of money on prisoners’ long term medical care costs. This is, of course, good news for taxpayers.

-Should we really be serving the body parts of once-living creature to inmates who are supposed to be contemplating the distinction between what is right and what is wrong? To serve the victims of mankind’s ongoing animal genocide to the likes of Christopher Lee McCuin and Timothy Wayne Shepard seems particularly twisted.

Although prisons are unlikely to adopt an exclusively vegan menu right now, this change is probable in the future. As the environment continues to deteriorate and as taxpayers become increasingly irate over excess spending in prison facilities, mandatory veganism for inmates may ultimately be enacted.

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.