Friday, September 28, 2007

8 Junk foods to stay away from

I love reading stuff like this. I almost never eat any junk food, with the exception of the occasional bag of chips or new york fries, and when i read articles like the one below, i feel so happy that i've seen the light. junk food makes me sick in every sense possible. if i have a choice between a fresh salad full of nuts and fruits and fresh vegetables, maybe even some tofu and legumes thrown in there.. YUM and a coke and fries, it's a no-brainer for me. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of sugar packed vegan treats that i love too. but at least i have no desire to frequent the places that sell garbage masked as food. i just wish i could help more people see the light too.

Got this from http://www.grist.org.

FOODS TO ESCHEW
The foods listed below are more noxious than nutritious -- for you and for the earth.

1. Sodas
Teeth go rotten with Coke. A 12-ounce serving of most sodas contains 7 to 10 or more teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener that's linked to rising rates of obesity and diabetes. (To see what this amount of sugar looks like, check this out http://marshallbrain.com/science/sugar-in-soda.htm.) Diet sodas aren't much better: they're filled with aspartame, a questionable artificial sweetener, and studies show that people who drink them weigh more than those who don't.

2. Hot dogs, bacon, and processed lunch meats.
It's no baloney: high-fat meats like hot dogs, salami, and just about everything in your supermarket's pre-packaged lunches and "deli aisle" are filled with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, and artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated fats. The latter can build up and cause strokes, heart disease, and cancers in adulthood. The nitrites in these meats are linked to increased risks of childhood cancer, too.

3. French fries
Most fries -- America's most popular vegetable dish -- wallow in cholesterol-boosting hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, aka transfats. The fats in French fries also seem to cause more deep belly fat accumulation, putting people at risk for diabetes and heart disease. And a single serving of fast-food French fries offers dangerously high
levels of acrylamide, a toxic chemical than can cause reproductive damage and cancer.

4. Doh-nuts
Just look at Homer. Doughnuts are the poster-child for food gone wrong: sugar-encased, high-fat packages of refined grains and empty calories, with food-dyed candy sprinkles on top. Plus, it's hard to eat just one.

5. Juice-flavored drinks
Some fruit juices are actually made with, uh, fruit juice. But most are only about 10 percent juice, plus water, sugar, and juice concentrate (which has almost zero nutritious value). Apple juice promotes tooth decay; over-juicing in general promotes obesity. Eat an actual raw organic fruit instead. If you're thirsty, drink some (non-bottled) water.

6. Artificial butter-flavored microwave popcorn
Artificially flavored anything is bad for you, but buttery-flavored nuked popcorn has the added problem of releasing toxic fumes, which in large amounts can cause a potentially fatal lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans -- or what's become known as "popcorn lung." Hundreds of workers in popcorn factories already suffer from the ailment, and a prominent researcher has warned federal regulators that consumers are also at risk.

7. Chips
Whether they're potato chips, Doritos, or some other entry in this snack realm, chips are high-fat and high-sodium with almost zippo nutritious value. Like French fries, many are also filled with alarming levels of acrylamide, a chemical that forms spontaneously when starchy foods are baked or fried.

8. Chicken nuggets
Cute as they are, these golden morsels aren't much more than a greasy, breaded salt- delivery system. They're filled with cholesterol-raising fats and super-sized loads of sodium. If you've seen Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me, you'll also have heard the allegations that Chicken McNuggets were once made with sick chickens. And they're prepared with chemicals like TBHQ, a form of lighter fluid. Just say McNo.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Hungry in Surrey

Hey people,

I'm in Surrey for the next two weeks and I am wondering if any of you out there know any excellent vegan restaurants in the area? Anyone?

If you do, you're more than welcome to join me. Beats eating microwave dinners in my hotel room.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Car Idling

Recently, I went down to Belleville with friends. Along the way, at a couple of points... my friend let his car idle. There is almost nothing that irritates me more than someone who lets their car idle. Even though, the myth that "turning the car on and off causes more harm than idling" has been disproved over and over, there are still those that hang on tight to this claim, thinking that their 5 minutes of idling isn't doing any harm.

Which brings me to another point. Drive-thrus. I hate them! People sit in their cars in long lineups, idling for 5, 10, 15 minutes just for the convenience of not having to get out of their cars. Why are we such a lazy ass society?! I read an article of Adria Vasil's today about a study conducted by University of Alberta students. They found that drivers in Edmonton spent 5,000 HOURS idling at Tim Horton's drive-thrus, emitting 23.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases IN JUST ONE DAY!

Anyone who thinks that he/she is not doing any harm by idling for a couple of minutes is obviously just being ignorant. Plain and simple.

For the whole article, visit this website: http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-09-20/goods_ecoholic.php

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Something to think about next time you eat a hamburger

Your average quarter pounder, according to one Cornell University study, siphons 600 gallons of water, 1.2 pounds of feed grain, and 6 square feet of former prairie land-plus the loss of five times the patty's weight in topsoil-even before it gets slapped on a grill.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

21 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle

by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 09.11.07

There's more to recycling than paper, glass, plastics, and aluminum. Did you know, for instance, that you could send off your used Tyvek envelopes for recycling? Or that you could swap your dusty exercise videos for some you'll actually work out to?
Co-op America has a list of 21 recyclables (or at least reusables) you may not have known about.

Garbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when we need to be producing less.
Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle.
That’s why our editors have spent the summer investigating the state of waste management in our country, and putting together information for you, our Co-op America members, explaining how we can get serious about the three R’s – reducing, reusing, and recycling. Supporting members of Co-op America can expect to receive this issue of the Co-op America Quarterly this fall. If you’re not already a supporting member, join us now to get this special issue mailed to you.

1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they’ll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com.

5. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922, www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding. Consider holding a clothes swap at your office, school, faith congregation or community center. Swap clothes with friends and colleagues, and save money on a new fall wardrobe and back-to-school clothes.

6. Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com.

7. Compostable bio-plastics: You probably won’t be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com.

8. Computers and electronics: Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html.

9. Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com.

10. Eyeglasses: Your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need.

11. Foam packing: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept foam peanuts for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800/828-2214. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 410/451-8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html

12. Ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.com pays $1/each.

13. Miscellaneous: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.com or giving or selling them at iReuse.com. iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

14. Oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202/682-8000, www.recycleoil.org.

15. Phones: Donate cell phones: Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell it to someone in a developing country: 770/856-9021, www.collectivegood.com. Call to Protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814/386-2927, www.reclamere.com.

16. Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at your local Play It Again Sports outlet, 800/476-9249, www.playitagainsports.com.

17. “Technotrash”: Easily recycle all of your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, cell phones, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk’s Technotrash program. For $30, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800/305-GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com.

18. Tennis shoes: Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring. www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti. www.oneworldrunning.com.

19. Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Recycline, and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms’ yogurt cups. 888/354-7296, www.recycline.com.

20. Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. Quantities larger than 25, call 866/33-TYVEK.

21. Stuff you just can’t recycle: When practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

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Monday, September 10, 2007

23rd Annual Vegetarian Food Fair

I had a great weekend! On saturday, I had the opportunity to work on LAVA all day, which I don't get to do enough these days now that I'm working full time. On sunday though... Chris, Sarah and I attended the Vegetarian Food Fair in Toronto. What a blast! I really look forward to that fair every year, and I'm so glad I was able to attend after years of being out of the country. We all spent way too much money, but we got amazing deals - the best deal being on Vega protein
powder (thanks to the guys running that booth! They were so fun and friendly!) I learned so much from just 1.5 hours with Brendan Brazier. What a smart guy. I'm so glad that we got to see him speak. I was really hoping to see Sarah Kramer too, but sadly, she had to fly home for a family emergency. Ran into my friend AngelA and her husband Jason who run Taste Better (www.tastebetter.com). They had a bunch of incredible t-shirts and cooking dvds for sale... and the most indulgent, gluttonous part of our weekend happened at the Sweets from the Earth booth. Good lord do they have a ton of dangerously delicious deserts! Chris and I have absolutely no will power when it comes to sugary vegan stuff that's in no way healthy... so we bought a blueberry cheesecake and a carrot cake. YUM!!!!!!!!!!! We haven't broken them open yet... but just wait. When we do I'll be sure to post a photo of myself pigging out.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

More Vegan Radio!


This one is in Toronto! It's called Animal Advocacy Radio and you can find it at www.animalvoices.ca
All of a sudden vegan radio is everywhere. So awesome.

You have to love thrift stores...

One Dollar! That's the price of great litterature these days....

It's worse than I thought...

I expected to thrill you all with some of the benefits of drinking organic coffee and tea but alas... circumstances have prevented me from having a lot of computer time.... working full time is not for me I tell you! When will I find someone that will pay me for writing blogs and updating veganslovelava.ca?! hahaha...