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Nine Faiths, One Vegan Lunch at Windsor Castle
Nine Faiths, One Vegan Lunch at Windsor Castle
On the Agenda — The Largest-Ever Commitment To Take Environmental Action
By Leah Koenig
On Tuesday November 3, His Royal Highness Prince Philip will host over 200 guests for lunch at Windsor Castle, the 900-year-old palace that serves as an official residence of his and Queen Elizabeth’s. But this lunch will be noticeably different from the roasted quail and crème fraîche typical of castle meals. Instead, the menu is entirely vegan and centered on seasonal, regionally sourced ingredients.
The reason: an interfaith conference called “Many Heavens, One Earth: Faith Commitments for a Living Planet,” to be attended by leaders from Jewish, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Daoist, Hindu, Muslim, Shinto and Sikh backgrounds. Co-sponsored by the Unite d Nations Development Program and Alliance of Religions and Conservation (or ARC, a faith-based environmental organization co-founded by Prince Philip in 1995), the conference has the goal of presenting unique seven-year commitments that outline each religion’s plan to foster action around climate change within the participants’ communities.
The seven-year framework resonates deeply within Jewish tradition, which mandates a weekly day of rest on Shabbat and a septennial resting of agricultural land in Israel during the shmita year. At the conference, eight Jewish delegates — a collection of educators, entrepreneurs, rabbis, activists and politicians from the United States and Israel — will present a commitment that calls upon Jewish individuals and organizations to “play a distinct and determined role in responding to climate change” between now and the next shmita year, which starts September 2015.
“Jewish people have moved through history by marrying small steps with big vision,” said attendee Nigel Savage, whose organization, Hazon, played a lead role in crafting the Jewish commitment. Now is the time, he said, to connect small actions — like switching to energy-efficient light bulbs or planting a synagogue vegetable garden — with education and advocacy.
While not the first gathering to marry faith and sustainability, this conference marks the largest-ever commitment by faiths to take environmental action. “Religions have the unique capacity to think beyond the next business cycle to long-term generational change,” said delegate Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair, who founded the Jewish Climate Change Campaign in Israel.
Not coincidentally, the conference has been scheduled to precede the international climate-change talks that will be held in Copenhagen in December. “The U.N. and World Bank (which will attend both gatherings) are among the world’s biggest, multilateral organizations,” said Rabbi Sinclair. “These organizations are beginning to realize that religions have a crucial role in addressing climate change.”
So what about that lunch? The meal at Windsor will be, in effect, a model for the type of eco-minded choices that the delegates hope to encourage within their constituencies. Co-conference organizer Victoria Finlay said that ARC chose vegan food to provide a low-impact meal that accommodates the widest spectrum of the delegates’ dietary needs. Daoists, for example, cannot eat onions, garlic or other ingredients that might cause a disruption of airflow within the body. Religious Hindus avoid meat and eggs and observant Muslims eschew pork and meat that has not been ritually slaughtered. (Understandably, the organizers avoided the logistical headache of offering separate meals that cater to nine different religions.)
The resulting menu includes roasted pear salad with cobnuts and chicory, Portobello mushrooms stuffed with artichoke and herbs, pearl barley risotto and organic wine bottled by Orthodox nuns in France’s Rhone Valley. This will be the first-ever vegan effort undertaken by Edible Food Design, one of Windsor’s regular catering companies. Head chef Sophie Douglas-Bate said her “heart sank at the thought of cooking without butter and cream,” but she ultimately enjoyed the challenge.
Despite the organizers’ least-common-denominator approach, however, the lack of a mashgiach and separate dishes means that kosher-keeping Jewish delegates will not be able to eat the lunch — they are the only participants unable to do so. And although they were offered the option of ordering food from an outside kosher kitchen, some of them declined. “I realized I’d be eating food that was triple-wrapped in plastic with disposable cutlery at an environmental conference,” said Rabbi Sinclair of the kosher offerings. “That was a moment when I realized kosher is important, but not enough.” Instead, Sinclair plans to eat fruit, salad and “a few granola bars,” brought from home.
While Rabbi Sinclair’s lunch might not be entirely satisfying, ultimately the more important challenges lie beyond one lunch at Windsor. “We’re interested in what happens next.” Savage said. “The next shmita year is far enough away to imagine big changes, but near enough that it’s not pie in the sky.”
For Hazon, the seven-year plan is part of a larger campaign that has already begun to galvanize action around climate change in the Jewish community. Delegate Naomi Tsur, a seasoned environmental activist who recently became deputy mayor of Jerusalem, intends to use the plan as a springboard toward a more thoughtful approach to the shmita year in 2015. “Shmita is big business in our city, but the way it is currently observed is a tragedy,” she said. Tsur hopes to involve Jerusalem’s city gardens in raising awareness around sustainable agriculture’s connection to climate change. “This is our opportunity to think globally and act locally,” she said.
Leah Koenig writes a monthly column on food and culinary trends. She lives in New York City. She can be contacted at ingredients@forward.com
http://www.forward.com/articles/117809/
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Go veggie to save the planet, urges leading climate change guru
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/go-veggie-to-save-the-planet-urges-leading-climate-change-guru-1925285.html
Go veggie to save the planet, urges leading climate change guru
By Matt Dickenson
Tuesday October 27 2009
One of the world’s leading climate change gurus urged people to become vegetarian, to help beat global warming.
Nicholas Stern, the author of an influential 2006 review of climate change, said methane emissions from cows and pigs were putting “enormous pressure” on the world and people needed to think about what they ate.
“Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It put enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better,” he said.
The former World Bank chief economist was speaking ahead of the climate change conference in Copenhagen this December, which is expected to be attended by thousands of delegates from around the world.
Stern said a successful conference would result in higher costs for meat and other foods that generate large quantities of greenhouse gases.
He also compared his stance on meat to the change in attitudes to drink-driving.
“I think it’s important that people think about what they are doing and that includes what they are eating,” he added.
“I am 61 now and attitudes towards drinking and driving have changed radically since I was a student.
“People change their notion of what is responsible. They will increasingly ask about the carbon content of their food.”
Methane is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, and it has been estimated that livestock accounts for a fifth of the global warming impact.
Stern said if business continued as usual, then temperatures could increase by 5C by early next century.
hnews@herald.ie
- Matt Dickenson
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Compassionate Cooks
A long-time vegan and animal activist, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau focuses her energies primarily on animals raised for food, though she came to be a voice for animals first through working on behalf of those in shelters, puppy mills, and research laboratories.
Colleen with Matilda, a “spent” egg-laying hen who escaped from a live animal market in Manhattan. Safe from cruelty and slaughter, she will now live out her life at Farm Sanctuary.
Raised on a typical American diet of meat, dairy, and eggs, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau was shocked by what she learned when she read John Robbins’ Diet for a New America at 19. No longer able to justify eating mammals, Colleen began a journey of discovery that continues to this day. Eventually she included fish in her circle of compassion, and after reading Slaughterhouse, it became clear to her that no animal raised for human consumption – whether for their flesh, milk, or eggs – escapes the horrors and cruelties of slaughter. Determined to raise awareness about animal suffering, she founded Compassionate Cooks to be a voice for the over 45 billion land and sea animals killed every year in the U.S. for human consumption. Her work is dedicated to them.
Having earned a master’s degree in English Literature, Colleen uses her writing and communication skills to raise awareness of the animal issues about which so many people are unaware. A sought-after and inspiring public speaker on the spiritual, social, and practical aspects of a vegan lifestyle, Colleen has appeared on the Food Network, is a columnist for VegNews Magazine, and she is a contributor to National Public Radio. She is very grateful to have the opportunity to witness transformations taking place in people as they gain the tools and resources they need to reflect their values in their daily choices.
Feel free to contact Colleen with any questions you may have at info@compassionatecooks.com.
http://www.compassionatecooks.com/
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Kids go vegan!
Vegan diets are a great choice for children. Raised in homes where the emphasis is on healthful plant foods, young vegans are likely to gain a few nutritional advantages over their meat-eating peers.
Health experts often caution that vegan diets for children require “careful planning.” That’s true, but then again, all diets for children require careful planning. Parents of omnivores need to make sure their kids are getting enough fiber and iron and not too much saturated fat. With obesity and diabetes on the rise among children, it is clear that there are plenty of problems with omnivore diets.
Read more the article at
http://www.examiner.com/x-5670-Seattle-Vegan-Examiner~y2009m8d27-Kids-go-vegan
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Fruits and vegetables, good for the bones? — latimes.com
Fruits and vegetables, good for the bones? — latimes.com
Posted using ShareThis
Don’t think dairy when it comes to building strong bones, say proponents of the low-acid diet. Focus instead on a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, these nutrition scientists say.
The low-acid diet (also called the alkaline acid diet) has been the subject of scientific debate of late, as doctors and researchers question what, precisely, it takes to keep bones strong. The thinking behind the diet goes like this: Blood is slightly alkaline, with a pH just above 7. If the diet is rich in acids, the body tries to restore alkalinity by eliminating minerals, including potassium, magnesium and calcium, which the blood essentially pulls from the bones.
Following a low-acid diet doesn’t mean avoiding vinegar and citrus fruits. On the contrary, it means not overloading on proteins, which are made up of amino acids that, as the name suggests, are acidic in nature. Low-acid diet adherents point out that because humans did not evolve on a diet heavy in meat and dairy, the modern Western diet, which is rich in animal proteins, may be contributing to illness and disease — including osteoporosis.
Read more the article at
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-nutrition24-2009aug24,0,5444265.story
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How it all Vegan
Sarah Kramer is a vegan cookbook superstar!
Combining her love of food and her love of animals into a home-made cookbook zine to give to friends and family as x-mas presents. Reaction to the zine was so overwhelming that she realized that she was on to something special and her aspirations to do something with her life that made a difference in the world soon became a reality.
This tiny little zine grew into the best selling cookbook How It All Vegan (which has sold over 150 000+ copies and is often referred to by fans as “The Vegan Bible”) only to be followed by it’s triumphant sequel The Garden of Vegan and La Dolce Vegan both of which are hot on HIAV heels as best sellers.
Sarah’s newest book Vegan A Gogo! hit bookshelves in ‘08.
Sarah’s newest work is a 2010 Calendar that hit shelves in the summer of ‘09.
HIAV has also been awarded the 2003/2004 Veg News Veggie award for Best Veg Cookbook. Sarah was awarded Veg News Veggie award for favourite cookbook author in 2005 and a M-Award in 2006 for Favourite Book for LDV.
Sarah is known for her sassy vintage style and layman’s approach to Veganism, and has been joyfully spreading the Vegan gospel to anyone who will listen. Appearing on national TV
shows like Canada AM and W-5 as well as local shows like New Day Live, Breakfast Television and Go Magazine, she has also appeared as a guest on numerous radio stations such as CBC and NPR. Sarah also does live cooking appearances at festivals such as Word on The Street, Earth Save events and Vegetarian Conferences throughout Canada and the United States.
A self confessed web junkie, Sarah created a safe haven at her website GoVegan.net for Vegan and curious Vegans to meet and talk about issues. She has written columns for Herbivore Magazine and Veg News as well as running The Tattoo Zoo with her husband/artist Gerry Kramer. When she’s not at the tattoo shop, or working on her photography she’s in her kitchen working hard on perfecting recipes for her cookbooks.
Sarah was born and bred in Regina, Saskatchewan and hopped on a train in 1988 and headed west for Victoria BC, where she has lived ever since. She enjoys long walks on the beach. She laughs loudly during movies…even when nobody else is laughing. She loves puppies and kittens and is scared to go into the basement by herself. She lives with her husband Gerry and Fergus the Dog, on a nice street somewhere near the beach in Victoria.
Sarah believes that Veganism is not just about food, but is a positive compassionate lifestyle choice. She believes the choices we make, however small (from the food that we eat to the shoes that we choose to buy) have a direct impact on how the world turns. Never one to bash people over the head with an aggressive message, Sarah believes that it only takes one tiny spark to start a fire and she has a pack of matches and is ready to burn!
http://www.govegan.net/?page_id=2
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Student Go Vegan
Student’s Go Vegan Cookbook: Over 135 Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegan Recipes by Carole Raymond
Synopsis
The choice to follow a vegan lifestyle is simple when you’ve got a cookbook full of delicious recipes representing the very best of gourmet, ethnic, and basic cuisine—served up vegan style! Even better, these dishes are tailored to fit a student’s schedule and budget, making a vegan diet possible for just about anybody.
Carole Raymond brings flavor and depth to vegan food with just a few inexpensive ingredients and recipes that are simple enough for even dorm-room cooks to wow their friends. Raymond also includes nutrition information that is vital to a healthy vegan lifestyle, as well as tips on stocking a vegan pantry, innovative substitute ingredients for all the foods you love, and suggestions on how to experiment with vegan dishes and make each mouthwatering recipe your own. Her collection of recipes includes such savory dishes as:
• Apple-Pecan French Toast
• Hash in a Flash
• Thai Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
• Déjà Vu Sloppy Joes
• Spanish Tomato Soup
• Basic Baked Tofu
• Millet Salad with Curry-Ginger Dressing
• Pumpkin Scones
• Ten-Minute Brownies
• Coconut Tapioca
And much more!
Whether you’re a curious but passionate newcomer or already a dedicated pro, the Student’s Go Vegan Cookbook has enough variety, simplicity, and strategies for you to make tempting vegan food for every meal—every day of the week!
Publishers Weekly
In this practical, encouraging volume, Raymond demonstrates the ease, as well as the pleasures, of a diet free of animal-derived foods. The author of Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook offers helpful suggestions about stocking the vegan pantry with whole grains, dairy-free milks, fresh fruits and vegetables, and meat substitutes such as tofu, seitan and tempeh and notes that the staples of a vegan diet are low-fat, cholesterol-free and rich in fiber and nutrients. Recipes include dips, wraps, soups, pastas and desserts from a variety of cuisines. Crunchy Blueberry Pancakes are light and sweet, with a satisfying cornmeal crunch; Basic Baked Tofu, with its gingery, garlicky marinade, is anything but basic. Other winning dishes include the rich, almost meaty Shallot and Mushroom Gravy, the refreshing Millet Salad with Curry-Ginger Dressing, the fragrant Indonesian Tempeh Stew and the savory Caramelized Onion, Walnut and Sage Pizza. The recipes are homey, simple and quick: with no-rise Rustic Olive Rolls, for example, fresh bread is ready in less than half an hour. For anyone interested in good and good for you vegan meals, Raymond’s book should be required reading. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews and Recommendations
Biography
Carole Raymond, author of the Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook, is a health instructor with unique insight into the eating habits of young adults. She has worked for Child’s Path, a federally funded food program, where she counseled families on economical dietary improvements. Carole lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and has been a vegetarian for more than twenty-five years.
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Vegan Soul Kitchen
“Bryant Terry knows that good food should be an everyday right and not a privilege. This book is full of easy, tasty, seasonal recipes that also happen to be vegan and affordable!”
—Alice Waters
Vegan Soul Kitchen (VSK): Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine is the latest book by Oakland-based eco chef, food justice activist, and author Bryant Terry. In this deeply personal and cutting-edge cookbook, Terry revisits his Southern roots and offers innovative, animal-free recipes mostly inspired by African American and Southern cooking. VSK includes a foreword by cookbook author Myra Kornfeld; beautiful full-color photographs; an original song written by singer-songwriter Don Bryant (the author’s uncle); new poetry by Michael Molina; suggested soundtracks for each recipe; and book, art, and film recommendations.
VSK recipes use fresh, whole, best-quality, healthy ingredients and cooking techniques with an eye on local, seasonal, sustainably grown food. Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Terry reinvents African American and Southern cuisine—capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition, without the animal products.
Includes recipes for: Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce; Jamaican Veggie Patties; Double Mustard Greens & Roasted Yam Soup; Agave-Sweetened Orange-Orange Pekoe Tea; Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Ginger-Peanut Dipping Sauce; Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Citrus and Spice Pickled Watermelon Rind; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits; and Molasses-Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts.
The best way to summarize this eclectic book: Alice Waters meets Melvin Van Peebles. . .
About VSK:
Order here
What people are saying about VSK
Publication Date: March 2, 2009
Author: Bryant Terry
Foreword: Myra Kornfeld
Food Photographer: Sara Remington
Lifestyle Photographers: Keba Konte and Brittany Powell
Songwriter: Don Bryant
Poet: Mike Molina
Agent: Danielle Svectov
Imprint: Da Capo/Perseus
Editor: Reneé Sedliar
Publicist: Wendie Carr
Click here to read about Bryant’s first book: Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen (Tarcher/Penguin 2006)
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A Well-Planned Veg Diets Are Appropriate
Vegetarian Diets
| Volume 109, Issue 7, Pages 1266-1282 (July 2009) |
source: http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML.htm
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Raw Food Diet Conversion Chart
Raw Food Diet Conversion Chart
You are interested in a raw food diet. Now you have to decide what to eat. To help you with the transition from cooked to raw, here’s a raw food conversion chart (please exclude the fish from the list for a strict vegan!)
The chart has the following categories:
- Food
- Beverages
- Condiments and Spreads
- Special Treats
- Supplements
- General Guidelines
1. Food
| Bad | Better | Best | |
| Sugar | All forms: - Dextrose - Corn syrup - Rice syrup - Malt |
Raw honey Agave Maple syrup Raw fresh fruits Raisins Dates |
Stevia Vanilla Cinnamon |
| Artificial Sweeteners | All forms: - Aspartame - Splenda - Xylitol |
Stevia Vanilla Cinnamon |
|
| Salt | Table salt | Unrefined sea salt Unrefined Himalaya salt |
Organic salt from plants: Celery Seaweed Phytoplankton |
| Flour | White flours from: - Wheat - Corn - Rice, etc. |
Organic whole flours from: - Spelt* - Kamut - Quinoa - Buckwheat - Millet - Brown rice* - Other non stored grains *stored grain |
Sprouted grains Almond flour Coconut flour |
| Bread | From supermarket | Home made Health store Yeast free Wheat free Sprouted |
Dehydrated flax crackers Essence bread Lettuce wraps |
| Pasta | White pasta | Organic spelt or buckwheat Sprouted pasta |
(Raw) spaghetti made from squash |
| Fat | Butter Shortening Margarine Chemicals Trans fats Animal fats Fermented fats |
Cold pressed coconut oil Olive oil Hemp seed oil Flax seed oil |
Whole hemp seeds Whole organic flax Seeds Nuts Fresh coconut |
| Meat | Cold cuts Processed meat: Hot dogs Bacon Salami, etc |
Organic raised Nitrites free E-numbers free (EU) MSG free, etc. |
Vegan nut pate’s Raw “meat” balls made from nuts/seeds |
| Fish | Farm raised fish | Wild fish Not endangered |
Wild Alaskan fish Caught same day Cold smoked wild Alaskan salmon |
| Eggs | Conventional eggs | Organic farm free eggs | Egg replacers: - Agar agar - Flax seed - Psyllium fiber |
| Cheese | Cheese From cow Pasteurized Not organic Homogenized |
Organic raw goat cheese Organic raw sheep’s cheese |
Nut cheese Seed cheese |
| Milk & Yoghurt | Milk, yoghurt From cow Pasteurized Homogenized |
Organic milk Raw goat’s milk Almond milk from store Rice milk Coconut milk |
Raw almond milk Raw milk from nuts Raw milk from seeds & grains Raw coconut juice & milk |
2. Beverages
| Bad | Better | Best | |
| Water | Water from tap | Plastic bottled water Evian, Poland Spring, Fuji Water |
Distilled water Low mineral spring water Bottled in glass |
| Thee | Black tea | Herbal teas | |
| Coffee | Coffee Decaffeinated coffee |
Coffee replacer | Raw “hot” chocolate milk |
| Soft Drinks | Lemonade Jam Soft drinks Fruit juices |
Organic fresh juices Flash pasteurized |
Freshly squeezed juice: Fruit juice Orange Juice Vegetable juices Green powder juice Juice fresh from juice bar super foods Coconut water (fresh) Smoothies Home made lemonade w stevia |
3. Condiments and Spreads
| Bad | Better | Best | |
| Tomato Ketchup | Tomato ketchup From supermarket |
Organic, sugar free ketchup Home made ketchup |
Raw ketchup |
| Mayonnaise | From super marked | Organic, no sugar added Home made |
Raw home made mayonnaise Raw mayonnaise made from avocado Raw mayonnaise made from nuts/seeds |
| Pasta Sauces | From package Cans Mac n cheese Ready made |
From health food store Organic Home made Pesto sauce Tomato sauce Organic Cheeses |
Fresh raw tomato sauce Raw pesto Nut cheese Salsa |
| Bread Spreads | Cold cuts Processed meat Jam Chocolate spreads Cheese |
Organic almond butter Jam/Jelly 100% fruit Raw honey Raw cheese |
Avocado Pesto Tapenade Salsa Guacamole Nut pates Nut cheeses Coconut butter |
4. Special Treats
| Bad | Better | Best | |
| Candy | Candy from supermarket Energy bars Diet bars Chips Cookies |
Organic from health store: - Candy - Chips - Cookies - Popcorn |
Larabars Raw Cookies Raw cakes Fresh fruits Dried fruits Dehydrated crackers/chips |
| Cookies, Cakes | Cookies from super marked Cakes from super marked |
Organic from health store Home made cookies Home made cakes |
Raw cookies & cakes Raw cakes & pies Dehydrated cookies |
5. Supplements
| Bad | Better | Best | |
| Supplements Vitamins |
Supplements Vitamins From supermarket From drugstore |
Supplements from some small companies | Whole foods supplements Super foods Green powders |
6. General Guidelines
| Bad | Better | Best | |
| Resources | Grocery store | Health store | Home made foods Green/farmer’s market |
| Grown | Conventional grown | Organic foods Naturally grown No pesticides, herbicides, chemicals Local farmer’s/green market |
Wild Local and organic Own garden, sprouts |
| Processed | Junk Pre-packaged Fast food Grilled Microwaved BBQ Fried |
Steamed Cooked Stir fried Baked at low temperatures |
Raw Juiced Blended Dehydrated |
| Ingredients | Many ingredients Conservatives Sweeteners Chemicals E-numbers MSG, flavor enhancers, etc. |
Few ingredients Ingredients you can pronounce |
Home made All fresh ingredients |
Related Articles
Raw Food Recipes
How To Make Smoothies
How To Juice
How To Prepare Raw Food
Vegetable Juice Recipes
Super Foods
Alkaline Foods
Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipes
source: http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/raw-food-diet-conversion-chart.html
