Thursday, November 13, 2014

The "Complete Protein" Myth

"Complete protein" and the myth that vegetarians must somehow combine protein sources to avoid some un-named deficiency of amino acids is absolute rubbish.

Show me just ONE example - of anyone, anywhere - who got sick from having "incomplete proteins"? In fact, 1/3 of the Irish population at one time relied solely on potatoes for survival - many more examples disproving the "complete protein" myth can be found. Fine, meat and dairy contain all the essential amino acids. And how many people get sick from eating meat and dairy?
  • Over 2/3 of all Americans are overweight or obese.
  • 500,000 have open heart surgery every year.
  • Diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages - 8.3 percent of the U.S. population!!!
So let's stop pretending that vegetarians face serious nutritional problems - the U.S. population is dying all around us, and vegetarians are doing fine thank you very much!

FACT: it's nearly impossible to fail to get enough protein, provided that you make sure to eat food!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Boulder Benign Blog: Recipes for a greener, healthier, kinder Thanksgiv...

Boulder Benign Blog: Recipes for a greener, healthier, kinder Thanksgiving "Give it a try -- you'll learn something new, make a huge difference for the environment, trim your waistline, and probably save money, time, and trouble! In fact, these recipes are cheaper, quicker, and safer than baking a bird."

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Boulder Benign Blog: Rodeo IS Animal Cruelty: Photos

Anonymous photographs and comments reported from the Western National Stock Show Rodeo on the weekend of Jan 14th, 2012. A sickening mix of laughter and relentless torture fill the Denver Coliseum each January.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Recipes for a greener, healthier, kinder Thanksgiving

According to an industry group, approximately 736 million pounds of turkey (47 million individuals) were consumed in the US during Thanksgiving in 2009. How should we react to this cruel, unhealthy, and environmentally destructive tradition?

See our previous post:
Recipes for a greener, healthier, kinder Thanksgiving

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Isn't Meat Eating Natural? Lions and tigers and bears do...


Isn't Meat Eating Natural? Lions and tigers and bears do it. They've been doing it for millenia, why shouldn't I eat meat, too?
 
In nature, there have never been 7 billion predators; predators must always have a lower population than their prey. In nature, the prey are made stronger, faster, and smarter through survival of the fittest. In nature, all the predators have not already been killed by humans.

In the modern day, humans have killed off most wild animals and fish everywhere; and replaced them with ranches, farms, fisheries, factories, fences, and highways. There isn't much of an ecosystem left anywhere, except tiny islands of protected wilderness areas.
 
There is nothing natural left about our meat factories, farming practices, or appetites. Small so-called "family" or "humane" farms should be praised for their efforts to get back to the old ways (of eating less meat). However, the old ways can only sustain the old population of below 1 billion people.
 
But isn't hunting natural and sustainable?

Today, Americans require more than 900 Million meals per day! If even a small fraction of these meals were provided by 'natural' hunting and fishing - all the hunting permits would sell out in minutes - and all wild animals everywhere would face a dire threat of extinction by the gun. Even before modern times, man has hunted many species to the brink of extinction, including bison, whales, turtles, and bluefin tuna.
 
What if everyone acted this way?
 
To reach sustainability, we must ask ourselves - what if everyone acted in this way? Truly, you would have to agree that we can't be killing 700 Billion animals per year (the average U.S. carnivore kills 100 animals/year). Fortunately, not everyone eats this way - we are currently raising and killing some 58 Billion animals per year worldwide, with about 17% (10 Billion) killed in the U.S., even though we make up only 4.5% of the Earth's human population. That means Americans eat over 3x more meat than the global average!
 
Oh come on, nothing we do is sustainable anyways!
 
Just look at our fossil fuel energy and transportation systems, or even our plant-based agriculture. OK fine, I hear you, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't TRY. Starting with our daily choices, eating vegetarian costs nothing extra and makes a huge difference in our kindness to animals, personal health, and ecosystem diversity, and reduces our footprints on energy, transportation, and environmental pollution.
 
Going (more) vegetarian, (more) local, and (more) organic, and growing (more of) your own food are all good things... most of which we can begin today for very little cost, which most people could afford and even save money on.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Diversified Dairy Operations - Almonds to the Rescue


Photo credit healthfitnessrevolution.com
Almond milk is flavorful, nutritious, and versatile.
An open letter to dairy farmers struggling to make ends meet in the face of drought, high corn, soy, and hay prices, competition over water rights, and increasing urbanization.

It is time for a positive message from the animal rights and welfare movement to dairy farmers. This will bring in additional income, lower costs, and enable sustainable expansion.

Bring in almonds to compete head-to-head with the cows.
  • They don't require semen collection.
  • They don't need to be pregnant.
  • They don't require extensive breeding programs.
  • They don't need to be milked, and don't get mastitis.
  • They don't urinate.
  • Nobody has to clean up their manure.
  • They can handle temperatures from 32 degrees to 100 degrees easily, without heating or cooling.
  • They don't take up much room.
  • You don't have to feed them.
  • They don't need water every day.
  • They don't have to be shipped back and forth alive!
  • They don't have to be slaughtered.
  • The processing equipment is less expensive.
  • The excess fat does not need to be removed from the milk.
  • Their milk is equally flavorful, nutritious, and versatile.
Give almonds a chance.
Lower your costs. Expand. Diversify.
Welcome more customers who don't consume dairy.