Confessions, a WINNER! and Other Randomness

Thanks to everyone who submitted their insightful suggestions regarding how to save money while still eating healthfully. I know I learned a lot, and I appreciate all of the feedback! So thank you all.

To find the winner of this latest book giveaway, which is $25 worth of books from my Amazon store, you'll have to read through the post!

1. Confessions: Vegetarian Hater

You know how some memories from your past can come back to haunt you? I had one of those yesterday. I thought about how intolerant I used to be of vegetarians. I used to think and say things like: "Who in their right mind would be vegetarian? We're meant to eat meat." One summer I was a camp counselor. Part of our weekly routine was to order pizza for our participants. They got to choose what kind of pizza they wanted. One of my girls told me she was vegetarian so she'd like a cheese pizza. I sort of brushed her request aside, thinking it would be silly to order a "special" pizza just for her, ordered a bunch of pepperoni and Hawaiian pizzas thinking she could just "pick off the meat." When it came time to eat, she was sorely disappointed that I didn't order the cheese. I couldn't understand why she was so upset, I mean come on, just take off the pepperoni, and you've got a cheese pizza. Now I understand that what I did was quite insensitive, feeling a bit guilty still, I wonder, does this mean I was a vegetarian hater? I certainly was not being considerate, that's for sure.

2. The good child: no sugar and refusing cheese

So the previous thought was actually instigated by the following occurrence. My oldest just started preschool. It's a public preschool where they are given lunch and a snack while there. Before school started I talked with his teacher, explained that he was vegetarian and doesn't eat dairy foods. Of course they asked about the dairy, I simply said he was allergic. Because of this, they have really done a superb job of accommodating him (unlike me in the previous story!). Granted, much of the food they give him is more processed than I'd like, but I can't complain, because really it's more than I could ask for from a public program. They give him soy cheese, soy milk, soy yogurt and veggie patties. The other day, his teacher told me he refused to eat a dish because it had cheese on it. He told his teacher, "My mommy says I can't eat that cheese." She reassured him it was soy cheese and that he could eat it, but to no avail he would not budge. Apparently it looked so much like real cheese he wouldn't eat it. I'm often asked, "Do your kids complain about the way that they eat?" My response: No, one because the food I give them tastes good and two they don't know any different. Another thing about this preschool, which I have to applaud, is the the fact that they have a "no sugar" policy meaning they only give the kids whole fruit. No juice or sugary drinks or snacks. Heaven knows kids get enough sugar from other places.

3. Kenya: Starvation and Drought

I like to keep abreast of current events. Recently, I was saddened to hear of the devastating circumstances in Kenya, where a severe draught is causing millions to go hungry. Much of our earth's resources are not being wisely used and there is so much waste that is a result of our current practices. I've posted before on this issue, but it takes over 5,000 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef, whereas it takes only 30-75 gallons to produce one pound of fruit/vegetable/grain. Many many more people could be fed if we allocated our resources in a more productive fashion.

4. Dairy subsidies...what are they thinking?!

On the topic of waste, have you heard about how an ag-bill was just passed for the government to help out small dairy farmers by subsidizing their products? $350 million in "emergency" funding is supposed to go out in direct and indirect aid. Part of that "aid" includes the government buying up $60 million in surplus cheese to help drive up the cost of milk prices. May I just say, what is government doing here? This is not a long term solution, even though the government has been subsidizing dairy farmers for decades. [And the winner is: The Cantons! Please send me an email, veganmothering(at)gmail(dot)com in order to retrieve your goods. If you don't respond within 2 days, I'll redraw for a new winner]. Clearly, it costs much much more to produce the cheese and milk that we consume than what we pay for. If we had to pay the true cost of dairy foods, we'd all be eating a lot less of them or better yet, none at all. So get out of the way government, stop trying to "save" this industry. What we save at the store for a gallon of milk, we end up paying much more in taxes and healthcare bills (you have to read The China Study to fully understand the dairy/healthcare connection). This is madness.

5. Dr. McDougall: Takes on the industry

I'm not shy about the fact that I greatly admire and respect the work of Dr. John McDougall. He is a fearless leader who is at the forefront of delivering the message to the world that YOU do not have to die of heart disease, or live with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, ect. I love his tenacity and willingness to stand up to the bullies in the medical field who would love to see him go away. Check out his newest newsletter where he details his latest resistance from his colleagues.

6. More On The Swine Flu

Confused about flu vaccinations? Frightened out of your boots that you or your children will get the swine flu? Dr. Popper takes a look at the history of flu vaccinations. Read more here (make sure it's volume 7 issue 39). To subscribe to her weekly newsletter, click here and fill out the form.