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Local Vegetarian Group Invites You to Dinner! |
Newsletter Fall 2006 |
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From Dr. Greger's Mailbag: Raising Vegan Kids Dangerous??? by Dr. Greger MAILBAG: "I read there was a study that showed raising kids vegan was dangerous." It was like a bad Saturday Night Live skit. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association pays USDA researchers to feed meat to starving kids in Africa and, surprise surprise, they perk up (and no, I'm not making this up). The children adding meat to their starvation diet developed better than those children adding, well, nothing. (Don't let the tobacco companies know, they might try to asphyxiate some kids and prove that breathing cigarette smoke is significantly better for you than, say, suffocation). Surely those weren't the only two groups, though: the meat-added group and the nothing-added group? In fact, there were indeed two other control groups in which they instead added a vegetarian food to these malnourished children's diets, but the children were nonetheless shown conclusively to grow best on the meat. This of course raises the obvious question: what vegetarian foods did they choose to add to their diets to compare with the meat? Presumably realizing that almost all (90%) Africans are lactose intolerant, the meat-industry-funded USDA researchers compared adding meat to these children's diets with adding... a glass of milk. So one group of starving children got meat, one group got nothing, one got milk, and the fourth and final group--to prove meat's superiority once and for all?--got... oil. Yes, just plain vegetable oil, providing essentially zero nutrition except empty calories. Sadly, the children were so malnourished that just adding those extra calories in the form of an extra spoonful of oil increased their muscle mass 40% over those that got nothing. Lest one thinks the meat industry wasted their money funding such a ludicrous study, these are some of the headlines they got:
Dietitian and author Brenda Davis responded to the study by citing the fact that the largest organization of nutrition professionals in the world (the American Dietetic Association) officially declared that "Appropriate planned vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarian diets satisfy the nutrient needs of infants, children, and adolescents and promote normal growth," as well as providing "health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." In recognition of that fact, Dr. Benjamin Spock, perhaps the most esteemed pediatrician of all time, in the final edition of his book, "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care" (second only to the bible the best-selling book in American history) recommended that children be raised vegan. In her response, Brenda explains why the researchers presumably chose not to include a nutrient-rich plant food as a control group: "doing so would have demonstrated that it is not vegan diets that are inadequate, but rather energy, fat, and protein deficient diets that are inadequate. That would have defeated the purpose of the organization which funded the research, namely the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (US)." Find this and other health information at: http://www.DrGreger.org/newsletters.html
Mothballs May Kill More Than Moths by Dr. Greger The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over a billion pounds of pesticides are used every year in the United States, over 4 pounds for every man, woman, and child. Most studies to date have looked at the cancer risk involved with occupational pesticide exposure, but a new study out of New York University looked into the risks associated with household pesticide use. Those using household pesticide products seemed to increase their risk of developing a high grade lymphoma (lymphoid cancer) by over 60%. The worst offenders seemed to be indoor insecticide foggers and mothballs. Those with any history of mothball usage seemed to double their risk of developing lymphoma. The major chemical constituents of mothballs are either paradichlorobenzene or naphthalene, the two most ubiquitously detected hazardous household chemicals in indoor air. According to the U.S. Public Health Service, although people are exposed to these toxic chemicals in foods derived from animals exposed to insecticides (such as "meat, chicken, eggs, or fish,") the primary exposure is through smoke, mothballs, toilet deodorizer blocks, and many indoor air "fresheners." Cedar blocks, cedar shavings or cedar oil represent nontoxic alternatives to mothballs. Find this and other health information at: http://www.DrGreger.org/newsletters.html
STUDY: JUNK FOOD ADDITIVES STOP NERVE CELL GROWTH by The Organic Consumer's Association Mixing the common additives aspartame an artificial sweetener and monosodium glutamate (MSG) causes nerve cell damage, say researchers at the University of Liverpool. The results from a two-year study were recently published in the journal Toxicological Sciences. The researchers found the additives were much more potent in combination with each other than on their own. Mice were exposed to concentrations of MSG and aspartame relative to what a child would receive in an average snack and drink. Researchers were surprised to see the additives interfered with nerve signaling systems and actually stopped the nerve cells from growing. Aspartame is commonly found in diet drinks, candies and flavored medicines, while MSG is frequently found in chips, processed cheese and many processed foods. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/msg010306.cfm
Aspartame Dangers by Janet Starr Hull The dangers of aspartame poisoning have been a well-guarded secret since the 1980s. The research and history of aspartame is conclusive as a cause of illness and toxic reactions in the human body. Aspartame is a dangerous chemical food additive, and its use during pregnancy and by children is one of the greatest modern tragedies of all. Why haven't you heard about this before? Partly because the diet industry is worth trillions of American dollars to corporations, and they want to protect their profits by keeping the truth behind aspartame's dangers hidden from the public. When NutraSweet® was introduced for the 'second' time in 1981, a diet craze revolutionized America's eating protocols and a well-oiled money machine was set into motion changing modern lifestyles. After more than twenty years of aspartame use, the number of its victims is rapidly piling up, and people are figuring out for themselves that aspartame is at the root of their health problems. Patients are teaching their doctors about this nutritional peril, and they are healing themselves with little to no support from traditional medicine. For more information go to www.sweetpoison.com
Upcoming Events /Reminders Our Xmas Party members only - no guests will be on Saturday December 9th at Pasadena Cove Club House on Pasadena Avenue, just south of Gulfport Blvd in South Pasadena.
It will be catered by GrassRoots - our new local organic restaurant. Sign up & Prepaying is required for this event. Cost is $10 per person. Since we have to pay the caterers for the exact number of people who sign up, we will require payment in advance. Sign up today at the November dinner or send your check to: TBV Membership Chair, 12404 Queensland Lane, Tampa, FL 33625. The deadline for your check to arrive is Friday, Dec 1st . About Tampa Bay Vegetarians Our social group meets monthly, 4th Tuesday, at 7:00 PM at vegetarian or vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Click here for more information. |
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