VEGETARIANISM AND FARMED ANIMALS

1. What is RMAD’s Vegetarian Program?
2. Where can I get a list of vegetarian restaurants?
3. Are there vegan caterers in the Boulder/Denver area?
4. What are the advantages of a plant-based diet?
5. Are free-range eggs cruelty-free?
6. What are conditions like in a factory farm?
7. What are the environmental impacts of factory farming?
8. Shouldn’t my child drink milk? How can my children get enough calcium without milk?
9. What about switching my family over from red meat to chicken?
10. How do I get my child to eat vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans?
11. How do I properly balance my child’s meals?
12. Do I need to add any supplements to my family’s plant-based diet?
13. What do I do about parties? I don’t want my child to feel left out.

1. What is RMAD’s Vegetarian Program?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1 million animals are killed every hour in the United States for human consumption. Millions are confined their entire lives to produce eggs and milk. Most of these animals are kept in terribly inhumane conditions only to be released from this misery with a horrific, terrifying slaughter. This “factory” system is ecologically devastating, affecting both the immediate and greater environment.

RMAD’s Vegetarian Program educates the public about vegetarianism and promotes a plant-based diet. The program also supports sanctuaries where rescued “farm” animals are free to live out their lives in peace. RMAD’s HEALTH Project (Humans, Earth, Animals, Living Together in Harmony) uses a variety of methods to educate the public about modern animal agriculture through potlucks and gatherings, the HEALTH web site and various outreach activities.

RMAD’s Vegetarian Program also responds to public inquiries about companion animal issues.

2. Where can I get a list of vegetarian restaurants?
The Internet has many resources. For a nationwide list, try:
http://www.happycow.net
http://www.veg.org/veg/Guide/
http://www.vrg.org/travel/
http://www.vegeats.com/restaurants
http://www.vegetarianusa.com
http://www.happycow.net/ north_america/usa/colorado.

For Colorado and the Boulder/Denver area, try:
http://www.vegeats.com/restaurants/usa/co
http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/usa/ ColBoulder.htm http://www.restauranteur.com/co/ boulderarea/natural.htm http://www.sourceguides.com/rockymountain/ restaurants/byGeo/Denver/byCuisine/vegi/vegi.shtml

3. Are there vegan caterers in the Boulder/Denver area?
Yes. Many of the natural foods stores cater vegan events. Many restaurants have vegan menu options available and can cater according to customers’ wishes. In Boulder, try Rudi’s at 303-494-5858.

4. What are the advantages of a plant-based diet?
According to the American Dietetic Association’s position paper on vegetarian diets, they are associated with a reduced risk for obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and kidney disease.

High fruit and vegetable consumption has been associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, several common cancers and other chronic diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Potential preventive mechanisms identified in human studies include antioxidant activity, reduced blood pressure, increased detoxification, decreased blood clotting, immune stimulation, anti-bacterial/-viral activity and improved cholesterol metabolism.

Legumes (e.g., beans, peas, lentils and peanuts) are excellent sources of protein, fiber and a variety of micronutrients and phytochemicals that may protect against disease. Isoflavones found in soybeans are associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer and increased bone mineral density in post-menopausal women. Regular consumption of nuts has been associated with lower risk for heart disease and mortality. Whole-grain consumption is associated with a reduced risk for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and stomach and colon cancer.

Many factors affect bone health. Exercise, calcium and vitamin D increase bone health, and smoking and excessive amounts of sodium and protein decrease it. Some calcium-rich soyfoods, like calcium-set tofu and calcium-fortified soymilk, are also rich in isoflavones, which may help to strengthen bones. So a serving of calcium-fortified soymilk—which contains just as much calcium as a glass of cow’s milk—is an excellent choice. Broccoli, kale and collards are naturally high in bioavailable calcium and also have large amounts of magnesium and potassium, which protect bones.

“The human body has no more need for cows’ milk than it does for dogs’ milk, horses’ milk, or giraffes’ milk.” —Michael Klaper, MD, speech, 7/19/85

The Centers for Disease Control has documented that, from 1993 to 1997, Salmonella enteritidis accounted for the largest number of outbreaks, cases and deaths among reported foodborne disease outbreaks for which a cause could be determined. Most S. enteritidis outbreaks were attributed to eating eggs.

It is likely that some cancers are caused by the typical levels of dioxins and related chemicals found in the food supply. Researchers have determined that a totally vegetarian diet minimizes dietary dioxin intake.

Antibiotics are routinely put in animal feed to promote rapid growth. According to Scientific American, “We put 70 percent of the antibiotics we produce in the U.S. each year into our livestock.” The National Research Council acknowledges that there is a link between the use of antibiotics in farmed animals, the development of bacterial resistance to these drugs, and human disease.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer: Last year, bacterial contamination forced America’s meat and poultry companies to recall a record amount of food, including 27 million pounds from a Wampler Foods poultry plant in Montgomery County, PA. There a strain of listeria was linked to eight deaths, three miscarriages and more than 50 illnesses across the Northeast.

Thanks to Vegan Outreach (www.veganoutreach.org).

5. Are free-range eggs cruelty-free?
The Associated Press reported on March 11, 1998 that “Free-range chickens conjure up in some consumers’ minds pictures of contented fowl strolling around the barnyard, but the truth is, all a chicken grower needs to do is give the birds some access to the outdoors. Whether the chickens decide to take a gamble or stay inside with hundreds or thousands of other birds, under government rules, growers are free to label them free-range.”

Many people consider “free range” to be an alternative to factory farming. However, this term includes no criteria, such as environmental quality, size of the outside area, number of birds or space per bird. Free-range hens are usually debeaked at the hatchery. They are given only 1 to 2 square feet of floor space per bird, only a small amount more than in factory farms. The doorway to outside access, if so granted, is a place of competition and violence leading to a muddy patch of earth covered with bird droppings. Free-range chickens see their death within one to two years, contrary to their natural life span of up to 12 years. While these details may seem an improvement over the life of a factory farm creature, the animals still experience immense cruelty on the way to imminent death.

For more information, visit United Poultry Concerns at http://www.upc-online.org and http://www.veganoutreach.org/ starterpack/qa.html#whataboutfreerange.

Thanks to United Poultry Concerns and Vegan Outreach.

6. What are conditions like in a factory farm?
The conditions in a factory farm are so horrific and inhumane that volumes of books have been written describing them. Many consider the conditions comparable to those of the slavery of African Americans and of concentration camps during the Holocaust. Animals are aware of death through sound, scent, sight and general sensitivity. They will be killed in a variety of crude, often ineffective manners such as:

• Captive bolt stunning—A “pistol” is set against the animal’s head and a metal rod is thrust into the brain. Shooting a struggling animal is difficult, and the rod often misses. A large number of slaughter plants must shoot at least two out of every 100 cows more than once to achieve unconsciousness. With line speeds up to 390 animals an hour, this can translate into a minimum of 62 cows per day feeling two of the high-force blows.

• Electric stunning—Electric current is used to produce a grand mal seizure; then the throat is cut and the animal bleeds to death. In a USDA survey, Professor of Animal Sciences Temple Grandin, PhD, states, “Insufficient amperage can cause an animal to be paralyzed without losing sensibility.”

• Ritual slaughter—Animals are fully conscious when their carotid arteries are cut. This is supposed to cause unconsciousness within seconds, but because of blood flow through the vertebral arteries in the back of the neck, some animals can remain conscious as they bleed for up to a minute. Additionally, Temple Grandin, PhD, notes, “Unfortunately, there are some plants which use cruel methods of restraint such as hanging live animals upside down.” This can cause broken bones as the heavy animal hangs by a chain attached to one leg.

An article in The Washington Post noted: “Hogs, unlike cattle, are dunked in tanks of hot water after they are stunned to soften the hides for skinning. As a result, a botched slaughter condemns some hogs to being scalded and drowned. Secret videotape from an Iowa pork plant shows hogs squealing and kicking as they are being lowered into the water.”

“In my opinion, if most urban meat-eaters were to visit an industrial broiler house, to see how the birds are raised, and could see the birds being ‘harvested’ and then being ‘processed’ in a poultry processing plant, they would not be impressed, and some, perhaps many of them, would swear off eating chicken and perhaps all meat.” – Peter Cheeke, PhD, Contemporary Issues in Animal Agriculture, 1999

On May 24, 2000, King5.com news service in Seattle, WA, broke a story about undercover footage taken at a nearby IBP slaughterhouse. According to its report, “The video shows fallen cows being trampled and dragged; others are tortured with electric prods. One cow has fallen and workers stick an electric prod on its head, then place the prod down its mouth. Still other cows are hung on chains, fully conscious, blinking and kicking. The worker who shot the tape said one cow was already at a station where legs are removed. ‘It would be horrible if someone were to cut off your leg without anesthesia.’”

Birds
The birds humans eat are also cruelly killed. Although the slaughter of birds is exempt from federal law, electric stunning is normally used to induce paralysis for ease of handling. Workers then cut the throats of the chickens, who bleed to death. There is considerable debate as to whether stunning renders the birds unconscious or merely paralyzes them.

Each year large numbers of chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese reach the scalding tank alive and are either scalded to death or drowned.

For more information and to see documentation of the conditions and abuse, visit http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan.

7. What are the environmental impacts of factory farming? A vegetarian diet can feed significantly more people than a meat-centered diet can. The State of World Hunger, by Peter Uvin of the Brown University World Hunger Program, reported the populations potentially supported by the 1992 food supply on different diets:

• Almost purely vegetarian diet: > 6.3 billion people

• 15 percent of calories from animal products: > 4.2 billion people

• 25 percent of calories from animal products: > 3.2 billion people

Source: FAO, 1993.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports problems created or significantly increased by animal excrement and growing animal feed:

• Decreased biodiversity through habitat loss and ecosystem damage

• Soil erosion

• Reduction in the availability of irrigation water

• Greenhouse gas production (nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide)

• Aquifer depletion

• Nitrogen, phosphorus and pesticide contamination of water through runoff from fields

The report lists the following problems created by manure:

• Contamination of surface waters

• Aquatic ecosystem damage

• Greenhouse gas production (nitrous oxide and methane)

• Soil contamination with heavy metals

• Acid rain and forest damage from ammonia emissions

The report also states that fossil fuel energy is a major input of industrial egg, milk and animal flesh production, and that factory farms are inefficient at converting this energy into food for humans.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Animal Waste Management: What’s the Problem?”: “By definition, [Animal Feeding Operations] produce large amounts of waste in small areas. For example, a single dairy cow produces approximately 120 pounds of wet manure per day (Nitrate Working Group, CDFA 1989:27). Estimates equate the waste produced per day by one dairy cow to that of 20 to 40 humans per day.”

Forty-three meat recalls by 31 companies totaled approximately 67,000 tons of suspect products that were delivered to schools, military installations, restaurants and grocers. Meat was found contaminated by deadly bacteria, rodent feces, rodent hair, rot, rust, mold, wire, metal shavings, etc.

Intensive pig farms have made the air so unbearable in some rural communities that some residents must wear masks while outdoors, and some people become sick. Waste from poultry and pigs has contributed to the growth of pathogenic organisms in waterways, which have poisoned humans and killed millions of fish. From 1995 to 1997, more than 40 animal waste spills killed 10.6 million fish.

In addition, improper grazing has caused extensive environmental damage and rangeland degradation in the Western United States.

In summary:
“[T]hose who claim to care about the well-being of human beings and the preservation of our environment should become vegetarians for that reason alone. They would thereby increase the amount of grain available to feed people everywhere, reduce pollution, save water and energy, and cease contributing to the clearing of forests; moreover, since a vegetarian diet is cheaper than one based on meat dishes, they would have more money available to devote to famine relief, population control, or whatever social or political cause they thought most urgent. [W]hen non-vegetarians say that ‘human problems come first,’ I cannot help wondering what exactly it is that they are doing for human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, ruthless exploitation of farm animals.”
--Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, 1990

Thanks to Vegan Outreach (www.veganoutreach.org).

8. Shouldn’t my child drink milk? How can my children get enough calcium without milk?
With infants less than 1 year old, whole cow’s milk may not only cause allergies and colic, but may also create deficiencies of iron, essential fatty acids and vitamin E. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants under 1 year of age not receive whole cow’s milk*. Studies in various countries show a strong correlation between the use of dairy products and the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes. This form of diabetes usually begins in childhood. Cow’s milk is also very low in iron and can induce a mild, chronic blood loss from the digestive tract.

Most beans and leafy green vegetables have a form of calcium that is absorbed as well as or better than that in cow’s milk. Along with this calcium come vitamins, iron, complex carbohydrates and fiber, all of which are lacking in cow’s milk.

*American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. “The Use of Whole Cow’s Milk in Infancy.” Pediatrics 1992;89:1105-9.

9. What about switching my family over from red meat to chicken?
Chicken has as much cholesterol as beef (about 100 milligrams of cholesterol in a 4-ounce serving) and almost as much fat. Cancer-causing chemicals that form in beef as it cooks also form in chicken.

Philosophically, note that eating chicken instead of cows causes more animals to suffer and be slaughtered because chickens are smaller creatures and feed fewer people per entity.

10. How do I get my child to eat vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans?
Dr. Spock says that children who are offered a variety of healthy foods learn to eat and even prefer them. Make these foods a regular part of the family diet without trying to convince the child that he or she must eat them because they are “good for you” (with the clear implication that “nobody really likes to eat this stuff”). Don’t make deals such as “If you eat your broccoli, I’ll give you some dessert,” therefore placing a value on certain foods.*

*. Spock B, Parker S. Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care. New York, NY:Pocket Books, 1998.

11. How do I properly balance my child’s meals?
To maintain a healthy balance of vitamins and nutrients, it is important to have variation in your family’s diet. Remember to frequently change which vegetables, legumes, grains and fruit you have available in your refrigerator. Children of different ages have varying nutritional needs. See the chart, Planning Meals for Children, created by the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine or guidance about your child’s specific daily needs.

12. Do I need to add any supplements to my family’s plant-based diet?
Vitamin B12 needs to be a supplement for everyone on a plant-based diet. The microorganisms that produce B12 grow in the soil and cling to root vegetables. As a result of industrialized production and improved hygiene, the source of this vitamin has been eliminated. Vitamin D may also be added if your family lives at high latitudes and if they aren’t getting enough sunlight. These vitamins are easily found in fortified products such as soymilk and cereal.

13. What do I do about parties? I don’t want my child to feel left out.
For barbecues, try veggie burgers and tofu dogs. There are vegetarian and vegan analogs and alternatives to nearly any meat and dairy product. If the celebration is for another child, offer to bring a dish or dessert to the party. Improved vegan versions of ice cream, cake, pies, etc. are often difficult to discern from traditional desserts and are always a hit with children and adults. For homemade ideas, see the recipe section.

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