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November 12, 2007 – Evolving Appetites

Welcome to Evolving Appetites’ monthly newsletter. Once again, sincere apologies for a tardy newsletter due to an untimely computer crash. It was a bad one – had to order parts from the manufacturer and it took days to recover data.

In this issue:

• An Inconvenient Truth for Al Gore – PETA
• Direct link between diet and cancer made front page news
• Recipe of the month: UnShepherd’s Pie
• Evolving Appetites presenting at a Loblaws store near you!
• Veg 101 – Getting Started, and Demystifying Tofu classes

Al Gore gets called on by PETA about his eating habits: Al Gore recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for his movie “An Inconvenient Truth”. However, Mr. Gore has an inconvenient truth to answer to, presented by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals): Why aren’t you vegetarian? PETA even had a billboard made up (see graphic above) posing the question to Mr. Gore. If he truly believes that global warming is a real threat, then he needs to walk his talk by doing his part – eliminating the most environmentally destructive habit – eating meat.

Nowhere in his film does he mention that the meat industry is more damaging to the environment than all of transportation combined (as this publication outlined in detail in the last two issues). Could it be because he has aspirations for the White House, and doesn’t want to alienate the powerful meat, dairy and pharmaceutical lobbies that could put him there? Or could it be because he comes from a family of cattle ranchers, and can’t bear the thought of alienating them? So far, he has refused to comment.

Here’s the link to the article posted on PETA’s site. Scroll below the article to see the CNN video clip of “Real Story” covering this contradiction:

http://blog.peta.org/archives/al_gore/

To further spell it out for Mr. Gore, here are some statistics from the October 14^th edition of the Sacramento Bee.

 If you get 30 percent of your calories from meat, dairy and poultry, as most [North] Americans do, your diet contributes more than 3,275 pounds of CO2 to the environment each year.

 Replace red meat with fish, eggs and poultry and save 950 pounds.

 Go vegetarian and save 1,600 pounds.

(link to full article: http://www.sacbee.com/378/story/427690.html )

Poor diet increases cancer risk

The Globe & Mail deemed the link between diet and cancer important enough to run on its front page November 1. The Times of London also ran the same story on that day. Released in Washington by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, it was billed as the most comprehensive study ever undertaken on the association between cancer and obesity. Here are some highlights:

Excess fat can cause up to a third of all cancers, putting lifestyle choices on par with quitting smoking. Even moderate amounts of alcohol, red meats and processed meats can serve as cancer triggers.

Recommendations include eating large quantities of vegetables and fruits, and most important, maintaining a healthy body weight by exercising regularly. It also suggests meeting nutritional requirements through diet, rather than supplements. Cut salt consumption to reduce the risk of stomach cancer.

Dr. Phillip James, one of the study’s authors and chairman of the British-based International Obesity Taskforce, says “Cancer is preventable. There are changes you can make in your daily life that will reduce your chances of developing cancer.”

In Canada alone this year, about 160,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer and about 73,000 will die from the disease. We have the potential to clear our cancer wards by simply changing what’s on our plates and diverting some TV time into exercise time.

However, what was most astounding to me in the Globe & Mail article was the erroneous recommendation of including poultry, fish and eggs to “meet protein requirements” in lieu of red meat. This is just plain false information. Any animal protein contains cholesterol – yes, even fish. And all animal products contain fat. A more reliable source of information cancer prevention diet is available from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (www.pcrm.org) and their sister site, The Cancer Project (www.cancerproject.org).

The evidence is irrefutable – now it’s up to each one of us to take responsibility for our own health, and choose plant-based, health-promoting foods instead of the dead and decaying, life-robbing animal “foods”.

UN-shepherd’s Pie (or Shepherdless Pie)

When the weather gets colder, we all crave comfort food – a “stick-to-your-ribs” kind of meal. This vegan dish delivers. Yes, there are a few steps, and it can seem time consuming. But you can always make the filling a day in advance and it’ll go a lot quicker on the day you want to eat it. Enjoy!

Serves 9

Filling:

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed  

Potato Topping

Instructions:

Soak TVP in boiling water for about 10 mins. Drain and set aside.

While TVP is soaking, start sauce: sauté onions in oil on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except flour. Stir to mix well and cook for about 7-10 minutes. (Careful, this stuff splatters.) Mixture should be a little thinner than tomato paste, but still fairly thick. You can add a couple of tablespoons of water if too thick. Sprinkle flour one tablespoon at a time and mix well into the mixture. This will make it even thicker (and help hold everything together when fully cooked). Add drained TVP mixture and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it isn't saucy enough, add a bit more tomato paste and vinegar or ketchup and stir through.

Peel and cube potatoes. Boil in salted water until very tender. Drain and mash immediately while still hot. Add soy milk, salt and parsley if using. Continue mashing until smooth and creamy. Add a little more soy milk if potatoes seem dry.

Assembly:

Line a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish with parchment paper. Put TVP mixture in dish and spread evenly with back of wooden spoon. Layer mashed potatoes evenly on top of TVP mixture. Sprinkle with paprika if using and bake at 425°F for about 20 - 25 minutes. Let cool for about 10 - 15 minutes before slicing. (Cooling it will allow the pie to “set” to make serving easier).

Serve with a fresh green salad and low-fat dressing and you have a tasty, nutritious meal!

Evolving Appetites at Loblaws:

After presenting two very well-received cooking demos in the last couple of months at Loblaws Bayview Village (Sept. 27) and Loblaws McCowan Market (Oct. 18^th), Nimisha has been invited to present on several more dates:

• November 13^th – 7 – 9 pm – Loblaws Bayview Village – “Ecological Eating – Saving the planet with your fork & knife”
• December 13^th – 1 – 2 pm – Loblaws Victoria Park Market – cooking demo
• January 3^rd, 2008 – 1 – 2 pm – Loblaws McCowan Market – cooking demo
• February 20^th, 2008 – 1 – 2 pm – Loblaws McCowan Market – cooking demo
• February 21^st, 2008 – 1 – 2 pm – Loblaws Bayview Village – cooking demo
• February 28^th, 2008 – 7 – 9 pm – Loblaws Bayview Village – “Eat lower on the food chain for optimum health”

Not free, but it’ll be worth your while:

Here’s an opportunity to learn first hand how to get started on a healthy lifestyle, and learn hands-on how to work with ingredients you may not be familiar with:

If you’re not familiar with a plant-based lifestyle, it can be overwhelming even just thinking about how you might make the transition to a healthier you. This seminar addresses your fears, concerns and questions about nutrition and navigating the social scene. If you’ve ever thought, “What will I eat? Where will I get my calcium? Iron? B12? What will I do at Thanksgiving or Christmas with the family serving turkey?” Then this seminar is for you. We’ll cover basic nutrition, menu planning, kitchen tips, how to handle social and business situations, and of course, you’ll get recipes to take home. Note: this is NOT a cooking class.

Learn how to take this versatile ingredient from appetizer to dessert. You’ll learn about the different types of tofu, and which recipes work best with each type.

• Tofu fingers – will make you forget about chicken fingers
• Crustless mini “quiche” – you can impress your guests, and they’ll never know the quiche is eggless
• Tease cake – say goodbye to fatty cheesecake, hello to yummy tease cake!
• Creamy dressings without the cream

We’ll feast on all the items we make in class, and you’ll get additional recipes to take home. But more importantly, you’ll be adept enough to work with this ingredient to be able to incorporate it into your own recipes with tasty results.

Limited to 16 people – first come, first serve.

Please email info@evolvingappetites.com or call 416-491-9904 to register.

Next issue: December 1

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DISCLAIMER: This site does not provide medical advice. This website is for information purposes only. The nutritional information on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health practitioner with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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