by Kathleen Keating

2008 ~ Every Day is Earth Day ~

Dear Friends,

Most people are not aware that eliminating meat and animal byproducts from our diet would significantly reduce world hunger, heal the environment, and, of course, end the cruel abuse of factory farm animals. And as an added bonus, we’d gain better health! “Now some people scoff at vegetarians, but they have only 40 percent of our cancer rate. They outlive us. On average they outlive other men by about six years now. A low-fat plant-based diet would not only lower the heart attack rate about 85 percent, but would lower the cancer rate 60 percent.” William Castelli, M.D. Director, Framingham Heart Study: National Heart, Lung, Blood Inst.

With that awareness in mind, I’m creating a book ~
Solution Soup and The Adventures of The Souper Heroes ~ Recipes for Soup and Living

All royalties donated to: Prader-Willi Syndrome ~ www.pwcf.org ~ www.pwsausa.org
EarthSave ~ www.earthsave.org ~ www.earthsave.bc.ca ~ The Small Planet Fund ~ www.smallplanetfund.org

The five Souper Heroes are on a quest searching for ingredients for a special ‘Solution Soup’ to feed the hungry, heal the environment, create compassion for animals, and grow healthy bodies and peaceful hearts. As well as information there will be vegan soup recipes contributed by vegetarians who support their favorite environmental, social or peace action organization. (Vegetarians! Be included in the book and on the website as a Souper Hero for your special organization. Send your favorite vegan soup recipe and information about your organization.)

Our daughter Ann, was my inspiration to learn about healthy eating. After years of researching information about nutrition, I discovered that a plant based diet was not only the healthiest, but the best for helping Ann achieve a feeling of fullness on the limited amount of calories she is allowed to have.

However, I continually wondered why the information I was discovering was not widely known. Then I read Food Politics by Marion Nestle, Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at New York University. The book is a well documented analysis of how the self-interest of the food industry influences and compromises nutrition policy and government regulations.

Still, despite the evidence, I thought that sticking to a vegetarian diet would be too big a sacrifice. I read John Robbins’ first book, Diet For a New America and Frances Moore Lappe’s Diet for a Small Planet, several years ago and learned enough then to convince me that eating beef was not healthy for me or the planet. I also learned that although 60 million people worldwide will die of starvation a year, that many people could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced meat intake by only 10%. I believed I was doing my part by not eating beef or pork.

Then I recently read John Robbins new book, The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life And The World. I was reminded ...“There can be no question that hunger can be alleviated with a given quantity of grain by completely eliminating animals from our diet. It is not efficient to feed grain to animals and then to consume the livestock products.” Dr. M.E. Ensiminger, former Chairman of the Department of Animal Science, WSU

I learned that the amount of greenhouse-warming carbon gas released by driving a typical American car in one day is 3 kilograms. The amount released by clearing and burning enough rainforest to produce beef for one hamburger is 75 kilograms. ~ Worldwatch

Dairies are the single largest source of water pollution. Deltakeepers, an environmental group that monitors California’s waterways, continually encounters massive discharges of dairy waste that literally cauterize waterways and kill fish. 65% of California's population is threatened by pollution in drinking water just from dairy cow manure. There is more and more evidence that we are in the process of losing one of the most marvelous and diverse aquatic ecosystems in the world.

I was reminded of the unspeakable cruelty toward farm animals. One example of the countless acts of cruelty that occur in raising and slaughtering factory farm animals ...Only female chicks are of use to the egg industry, so every male chick born to a laying hen is killed on his day of birth. The tiny chicks, chirping frantically for their mothers, are either ground alive or thrown into garbage bags while still living, only to suffocate under the weight of other male chicks. Humane methods of slaughtering chicks is not required by law.

I realized that the first time I read John Robbins’ and Frances Moore Lappe’s work, I was not really letting the truth touch my heart, much less sink into my rational mind.

Now my thinking has shifted in this way... If refusing to eat meat will be of significant help in ending world hunger .... what sacrifice am I really making, when I have an abundance of delicious plant foods to eat? I do not have to starve myself in order that others may have enough to eat. In fact, I can eat all I want and even live a healthier, longer life.

If refusing to eat meat will heal a major cause of much of the serious pollution of our earth, conserve our rapidly dwindling water supplies, save the rain forest, and end the abuse of factory farm animals ... what sacrifice am I really making when I have an abundance of delicious plant foods to eat? My grocery store offers heaping bins of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The shelves are full of every type of grain, bean, and pasta I could want. I can choose from spices and seasonings from around the world. The refrigerator cases are overflowing with tasty tofu products and delicious meat substitutes. So when I made a choice to be a vegetarian, I discovered that, in this day and age, it is not a sacrifice at all.

As environmental, social and political activists, it is easy to be outspoken and demand that politicians and corporate leaders take action to create a better world.

Yet there is one simple thing we can each personally do, that will be a profound gift of compassion for the human beings world wide who are starving, for the factory farm animals who are suffering abuse, as well as a gift of healing for ourselves and for the environment: we can refuse to eat factory farmed meat and meat products.

The Union of Concerned Scientists say that one of the most important things that people can do which will most help the environment is to not eat beef. If this is not a step you have taken, I hope you will consider their recommendation. You might also consider making one or two days a week meatless. (Try a ‘meatless monday.’ If you haven’t sampled some of the new tofu products or meat substitutes you will be surprised at how tasty they are .... check out www.vegsource.com and www.vegparadise.com for more ideas.

Begin where you can and do what you are able ~ some of the many resources ....
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ~ www.pcrm.org
Howard Lyman ~ www.madcowboy.com
Friends of Animals ~ www.friendsofanimals.org
101 Reasons I’m A Vegetarian ~ www.vivavegie.org
Join the Humane Society and support legislation to end cruelty to farm animals: www.hsus.org (USA) and www.humanesociety.com (Canada)
Please read The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life And The World by John Robbins and Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe -which takes off from Diet for a Small Planet.

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” ~ Albert Einstein

Thank you for listening ~ thank you for your consideration ....

Be a brave cook!

Kathleen Keating Schloessinger ~ www.ByKathleenKeating.com

Note: Vegetarians do not eat meat or fish, but may eat some animal by-products such as eggs or dairy products. Vegans do not eat meat or fish or any animal by-products. However, neither are narrowly defined by the ingredients they eat or don’t eat, but by their commitment to doing no harm to other sentient beings, to the planet, and to their health through conscious, informed, and humane diet and lifestyle choices. If you define who you are by this commitment, please feel free to contribute a vegan soup recipe.

Now this is what is in my heart ... If refusing to eat meat will be of significant help in ending world hunger .... what sacrifice am I really making when I have an abundance of delicious plant foods to eat? I do not have to starve myself in order that others may have enough to eat. In fact, I can eat all I want and even live a healthier, longer life.

If refusing to eat meat will heal a major cause of much of the serious pollution of our earth, conserve our rapidly dwindling water supplies, save the rain forest, and end the abuse of factory farm animals ... what sacrifice am I really making when I have an abundance of delicious plant foods to eat? My grocery store offers heaping bins of fresh fruits and vegetables. The shelves are full of every type of grain, bean, and pasta I could want. I can choose from spices and seasonings from around the world. The refrigerator cases are overflowing with tasty tofu products and delicious meat substitutes. So when I made a choice to be a vegetarian, I discovered that, in this day and age, it is not a sacrifice.
Be A Brave Cook! Kathleen

Vegetarians do not eat meat or fish, but may eat some animal byproducts such as eggs or dairy products. Vegans do not eat meat or fish or any animal byproducts. However, neither are narrowly defined by the ingredients they eat or don’t eat, but by their commitment to doing no harm to other sentient beings, the planet, and their health through conscious, informed, and humane lifestyle and diet choices.