“If men today were simple in their habits, living in harmony with nature’s laws, there would be an abundant supply for all the neds of the human family. There would be fewer imaginary wants, and more opportunity to work in God’s ways.”

Ellen G. White
August 12, 1897
Signs of the Times
“Feeding the Five Thousand”

Half of the world suffers from malnutrition.

America has enjoyed a sufficient supply of grain crop, even enough to export to other countries… until a few years ago. Population began outgrowing crop supply.

President Bush’s Science Advisory Committee is quoted as saying that, “The world’s food problem is not a future threat. It is here and now.”

So what can we do? What are our options? Well, we could all eat a little less; however, this is not realistic, considering that half the world doesn’t have enough food to begin with.

Another option is changing what we eat. One fourth of an acre (or less) is all that is needed to feed a person for a year if he lives on a vegetarian (or better yet, vegan) diet. On the contrary, three acres or more are needed if a person relies on animal protein for food.

Consider this: A cow must consume one hundred calories to produce 10 calories in meat. It takes 21 pounds of protein fed cattle to get one pound of protein in return. Pigs and chickens have a slightly better output, but not enough to make mention of.

Here’s another perspective: Eighteen million tons of protein are lost in this “feed-to-meat” transaction every year in the U.S. alone. Had this wasted protein been fed directly to the worlds starving people, it would have met 90% of the world’s protein deficiency.

Just something to chew on.

Congress is currently considering a permanent ban on the sale of meat that comes from “downed” (injured, or otherwise ill) livestock.

The biggest push for this legislation has stemmed from a fear of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease.

Mad cow disease is a progressive neurological disorder which can be transmitted to humans and other species. The most obvious of its symtoms is the inability to walk or stand. Many farmed beasts are non-ambulatory before they go to slaughter due to a variety of illnesses or injuries.

To get cattle to the killing floor, workers often prod them with electrical shocks, drag them with chains, and even push them with heavy machinery. You can imagine the bodily harm that results. The animals are often left for days at the slaughterhouse unable to walk, without food, water, or care. They are in excruciating pain and mental anguish.

Mad cow disease is spread most rapidly when factory farming institutions grind up the deceased “mad cows” and feed them to the other livestock. This practice was outlawed in the U.S. in 2003, when the first mad cow was found in this country. As a result, Congress put a temporary ban on the sale of “downed” cattle meat.” That ban is still in effect today.

In January 2006, both the House of Representatives and the Senate were introduced to the Downed Animal Protection and Safety Act. This Act would serve to protect both human and beast by continuing to temporary ban on the sale of “downed cattle meat” that was started in 2003, as well as the meat of other livestock such as pigs and goats. The Act also requires that “downed animals” be quickly euthanized to save them from a slow and agonizing death.

Not only would this ban continue to protect the public from mad cow disease, but it would also encourage farmers to improve their livestock’s living conditions.

Unfortunately, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns believes that beef in the U.S. is free of the dreaded mad cow disease, and wants to lift the ban.

Please contact your local Senator or Representative, and ask them to support, or even co-sponsor, the Downed Animal Protection and Food Safety Act.

The cows will be grateful.

Until tomorrow,

In 1902, Ellen G. White, health reform leader and founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said:

“In teaching health reform, as in all other gospel work, we are to meet the people where they are. Until we can teach them how to prepare health reform foods that are palatable, nourishing, and yet inexpensive, we are not at liberty to present the most advanced propositions regarding health reform diet.

“Let the diet reform be progressive. Let the people be taught how to prepare food without the use of milk or butter. Tell them that the time will soon come when there will be no safety in using eggs, milk, cream, or butter, because disease in animals is increasing in proportion to the increase of wickedness among men. The time is near when, because of the iniquity of the fallen race, the whole animal creation will groan under the diseases that curse our earth.”

Wow. That says a lot. Over 100 years ago, Mrs. White was aware that animal products would soon become completely inedible, and that animals would suffer at the hands of evil people. But that’s a whole other story.

The point of this excerpt today is the transition from being omnivore to being vegan. Mrs. White was saying, in the beginning of this excerpt, that people can’t be expected to savour a vegan diet unless it is palatable, nourishing, and affordable. The Happy Vegan will soon begin publishing recipes and reviews of recipes that are all of the above.

Keep in mind also that a “cold-turkey” transition from omnivore to vegan can be very taxing on the body. That being said, here is a three step transition plan that will make your commitment easier to stomach:

1. Start out substituting meats with meat analogues. This can help suppress any meat cravings you might have had if you had “quit cold-turkey.”

2. Cut out dairy and egg products except for your meat analogues.

3. Slowly begin substituting your meat analogues with things like grains, nuts, and seeds. The Happy Vegan will soon begin publishing many versitile recipes for this category.

Once you get to this point… get creative! Vegan diets don’t have to be boring!

If you don’t want to give up your meat analogues (for either flavor or convenience), consider contacting Morningstar Farms to request that they no longer use egg in their vegetarian products. You can find more information on this subject in yesterday’s post.

If you are interested in reading more about the Health Reform of the Seventh-day Adventists, please titles below. Purchasing from Amazon through a link on The Happy Vegan will help support this site and the education of the web author. (For more information, see the “donate” page.)

Thanks as always,