COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMING TRUST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Keynote speaker: Dr Jane Goodall DBE of the Jane Goodall Institute

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London
17-18 March 2005 with optional excursions on 19 March

I went this past summer.

There were plenty of talks given by health professionals and vegans.  Some of the big names were Dr. Michael Greger MD, Dr. Michael Klapper MD, Brenad Davis RD, and George Eisman RD.

The consensus among these experts is that a good vegan diet is one of the best things for your health AND that a bad vegan diet is one of the worst things for your health.

One of the messages the speakers strove hardest to expose everyone to through the plenary talks was that of an incipient health crisis in the vegetarian and vegan community.  

In a nutshell, vegetarians ( and vegans ) need to regularly use a reliable source of vitamin B-12, increase their calcium intake, increase their intake of fresh green vegetables, increase their intake of fresh yellow/orange vegetables, secure a source of iodine, secure a source of essential fatty acids, reduce their consumption of sweets, minimize their use of refined flour products (pasta, breads, bagels, etc.), and get more exercise.  

This is not a new message, but the experts at Summerfest emphasized -- with a palpable sense of caring and urgency -- that many vegetarians and vegans are simply not following this advice, to their great detriment.

This information inspired me to put a web site with links to information from these experts........in a format emphasiszing brevity.......for veg*ns who want to improve their health:

HTH

Steve

        I got a call recently from the Social Justice Chair at a nearby church asking if our congregation would join in supporting the Heifer Project.  She seemed surprised when I told her I thought Heifer was a feel good charity that might harm the very people its intended to serve.

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons soy margarine, or Spectrum spread
3/4 cup sweetener of choice (I use sucanate)
2 Tablespoons Silken tofu (whip by hand before adding to batter)
1+1/2 cups sifted unbleached white or wheat flour
2  teaspoons non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
1/2 cup soy, almond, or rice milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
2 cups bluberries washed and drained (sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour before adding to batter)
Topping:
1/2 cup sucanate (or your favorite sweetner, Honey or maple syrup will be too wet unless you alter the amounts of dry ingrediants.  I have also made the topping with maple syrup, adding 1/2 cup oatmeal to the mix)
1/3 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)
1/4 cup soy margarine

Cream margarine, sweetener, blend in whipped tofu till light and airy.
Mix together dry ingrediants,and add alternately with the wet. Gently fold in floured blueberries.  Pour into 8 X 8-inch pan.

Mix together remaining ingrediants cutting in the margarine to make a crumbly mixture.  Sprinkle over batter in pan, and bake in 375* F oven for 40-45 minutes.  Cool on rack, cut in squares, and  eat while still warm with a dollop of vanilla Tofutti.

Peace in our hearts...peace in our souls...peace to the world.  It all starts within each and every one of us - non-violence begins at home.

From my heart to yours,

StarLotus