Living Harmlessly

Well, I wrote to TC: “I was just wondering about Taco Cabana’s Refried beans. Are they cooked
with any kind of animal product (lard, meat, butter … etc) ? I also
have a question about the flower tortillas. Are they made with milk or
animal based preservatives (actually and ingredient list would be a
great help) ? Thank you very much for your assistance!”

And they said: “Thank you for your interest in Taco Cabana!
Specifically, the answer to your question regarding refried beans is
yes, they do.
The flour tortillas are a 100% vegetarian product.
Attached is a list I think you’ll find helpful.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thank you.

Marvin Jones
Operations Services Analyst
(210) 283-5516    <direct>
(800) 474-1344 x5516    <toll free>   
(210) 804-1973     <fax>
mjones@tacocabana.com
Visit our website at www.tacocabana.com”

I asked Kodac about their film and if they had any without animal products and they said:

“We received your note regarding Kodak film and appreciate the opportunity to comment.
Eastman Kodak Company, as well as all other film manufacturers, uses rendered cattle bone from beef production to make gelatin used in film production. Gelatin derived from bone waste material is an environmentally-preferable way to dispose of unwanted bone, compared to disposal in a landfill. Kodak uses non-animal-based polymer mixtures to reduce the amount of gelatin used. While Kodak has researched alternatives to replace bone-derived gelatin, it’s not possible to completely replace gelatin with alternative materials at this time. In addition, Kodak developed and uses technology to produce thinner gelatin layers on film. This further reduces the amount of gelatin present in a roll of Kodak film.

If you prefer not to use this type of product, may we suggest that you review the Kodak digital cameras featured on our Web site. Digital photography is an entirely different medium, and no gelatin is involved.

Thank you for your time. If you should have future questions on Kodak products or services, please feel free to visit our Web site at www.kodak.com where we are continually adding new information to enhance our service. You may also wish to call our toll-free number at 800-242-2424. Our representatives are available to speak with you Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

John Paul E
Kodak Information and Technical Support
http://www.kodak.com/go/support“

Frito’s, lovely Frito’s. Where do I begin? While they may not be the healthiest snack in the world, but it is vegan! It’s an easy food to find anywhere in a jam and the star ingredient in the famous Frito Pie. Below I’ll post a basic out line for a delicious vegan friendly version of Frito Pie that even your omni friends are bound to love!

Ok, so here’s how it goes. First, you have to fix some vegan chilly. Now, you can do a from scratch recipe from somewhere like vegweb.com or you can buy a pre-done package of chilly flavoring (check that it’s vegan) then get some beans (kidney beans work fairly well), whatever ingredients are necessary for the from scratch version or on the back of the package, some Frito’s and (optional) some instant rice.

Fix the chilly according to the instructions and add the beans rather than meat (canned beans work well for a quick meal, otherwise you’ll need to cook the beans first then add them to the chilly). You can also add other veggies like tomatoes if you want. As an optional ingredient to tone down the chilly, you can add in instant rice (just cook it by it’s self according to the package then spoon some into your bowl as desired). Once all that is done, mix together chilly, Frito’s and maybe some rice in your bowl. The Frito’s should get soft if you mix them around well and let the chilly soak in. Also, I would make sure you got a fair amount of the liquid chilly in addition to the beans to make sure you get the proper flavor and to ensure the Frito’s soften.
Considering it tastes basicly the same as regular frito pie (especily if you use the predone mx) your omni friends are bound to be pleased. Well, good luck and happy eating!

Liquid Smoke adds major flavor to dishes (like beans) that normally contain bacon or some other “smoked pig” type product. I tried it for the first time in some pinto beans and yum! It’s not animal derived, it’s just meant to bring a smokey flavor into your food (which is what most of us former omnis liked about “smoked pig” products anyway!). Almost all should be vegan but it never hurts to check. Just a tip, if you’re going to use it in beans, wait till the beans only have a few more minuets of cooking left, just enough time for the liquid smoke to sink in nicely without wasting a ton of the stuff poring more in when you have to put in more water.

Luna bars ROCK! I love the “Nuts over Chocolate” one especially. It’s just so wonderful how they manage to make a vegan snack that’s delicious and healthy for you too! It’s packed with protein and other vitamins and if you have a craving for chocolate you can get it here. I have been able to find it at most convenience and grocery stores (although I can only speak for San Antonio), so that’s a plus. As I recall, it’s around 70% organic as well. An all around great buy!

The soup is vegan and organic, what more could you ask for? Well, the flavor on some is not very strong. It’s fairly quickly prepared soup, Lentil and Vegetable (I think that’s what it’s called) is my favorite so far. It’s good for a quick canned soup type lunch … sort of like an organic vegan version of Cambles. Over all I’d recommend it. I believe they also do microwave dinners that are also vegan.

(( sorry for the super short review … not much else to say ))

EDIT NOTE: By the way, I think Amy’s Organic is not ALL vegan. I think it is all vegetrian though …

Fresh Spinach and Tomato Pasta

Recipe submitted by “My own creation KarmaGirl”, 02/29/04

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    Bowtie Pasta
    3-4 Fresh Tomatoes, Blanched with seeds removed
    I bag of fresh baby spinach
    1/2 cup of vegetable broth
    1-3 cloves of garlic (depending on preference)
    Dried Rosemary (to taste)
    Dried Oregano (to taste)
    Salt and Pepper (to taste)
    Olive Oil (3-4 tablespoons)
    Nutritional Yeast

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions and set aside. Next, blanch the tomatoes, remove the seeds and skin and then chop. Wash the spinach and then chop it up as well.  Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic and spinach first. Cook the spinach on medium heat until it gets a little tender.

Add the seasonings and then the tomatoes and saute for about 2-3 minutes. If you sauté too long, the tomatoes get too mushy. Just before its done add the veggie broth and stir for another minute to thicken. Finally, remove from heat and stir in the pasta. Serve hot with a little nutritional yeast over top. My whole family loves this recipe and its so simple. We eat it almost every week.

Serves: 5-6

Preparation time: 30 Minutes

URL: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8385.0

____________________________________________________________

I found this on veg web and made it for dinner the other day. It was really good, except that once I put in the veg broth I lost a lot of the flavor (I tried it before and after) so I think you shouldn’t be afraid to “over season” … at least that’s my opinion … anyway, it was really good … so … ya …

Only a little while ago I was perusing the Internet to find a list of companies that test on animals. PETA’s seemedto be the most prominent, so I checked it out. For a while I bough into the whole “IamsCruelty” and “Mars Candy Kills”completely, but now I have beginning to doubt. (( Note: I don’t doubt animal testing or it’s horrors but who exactly is doing it and PETA’s possible “agenda” )) When I contacted Iams and Mars there response did not sound at all like what PETA had made them out to be (I’ll post what they said in a sec). Now, that on it’s own may not say much (I mean they could have made a mistake), but now Proctor and Gamble (makers of Herbal Essences) have said similar. Here is their response to my email informing them of Leaping Bunny (an organization that certifies companies that comply to an internationaly recodnised standard of cruelty free products called the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics or CCIC) and the following is their response:

“Thank you for contacting us regarding our use of animal testing.  We
are glad to have the chance to share the facts about our product safety
testing program with you.

P&G has consistently refrained from making claims related to animal
research on our products and packaging, and in keeping with this policy,
we are phasing out that language from our packaging.  This does not
represent a change in our research and manufacturing process, but is simply
a matter of making our labels consistent with P&G policy.

We at P&G want to ultimately eliminate the need for all animal testing
of products and ingredients for human use.  We have already ended the
use of animals for evaluating the safety of all current non-food,
non-drug product formulations, except where required by regulations OR WHEN
THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TEST AVAILABLE TO ENSURE HUMAN SAFETY.  When
evaluating the safety of foods, drugs, new technologies and
never-before-used ingredients, we always look first to existing safety data and then
to alternatives.  A minimal amount of animal research is used only when
we’re unable to verify safety any other way — let us stress that
resorting to animal research is the exception rather than the norm.  We’d
rather use alternatives; not only is the use of animals avoided, but
reliable alternatives generally cost less and take less time. 

We’re committed to the ultimate elimination of animal testing FOR
PRODUCTS INTENDED FOR HUMAN USE.  In order to reach this goal, we’re doing a
number of things.  We’ve invested almost $160 million in alternatives,
making us an industry leader.  We’re working with the FDA and
respected animal welfare groups, such as the Humane Society of the United
States, to work on reforming regulations and validating alternative methods
so that we can reach our goal.  These are just a couple of our efforts
in the area of alternatives.  To learn more, we invite you to visit our
website: http://www.pg.com/science/animal_alt.jhtml 

For additional information about alternatives, you might visit the
following websites: 
http://www.biorap.org(Biological Research for Animals & People)
http://altweb.jhsph.edu/(Alternatives to Animal Testing site) 
http://www.hsus.org/(Humane Society of the United States site)
http://www.ampef.org/(Americans for Medical Progress Educational
Foundation)

We hope this explanation of our position will serve to answer your
inquiry and assure you of our continuing attention to this matter.

The Consumer Relations Team“

We should be encouraging these companies to contingue trying to end all testing! I mean Iams and P&G for example are making great strides toward ending animal testing. I think that the way PETA goes about it’s boycott (not to mention I don’t totaly trustPETA in the first place) causes harm to the reputations of companes that could be (often it seems to me) trying to improve. PETA seemes to do more complaining that they haven’t solved the problem than praising the company for making strides toward the final goal. There are many people who will stop buying from these companies entirley and never notice that they are off the “black list”. By they way, I have no problem with a list of companies that test (although I think it should be seperated into performs extreemed and unessisary tests, is attempting to elimenate animal expiriments and dose not test at all), but they should be messured by an agreed upone standard and checked up on by someone trustworthy. PETA’s list is not especialy up-to-date, there is no real official standard (like Leaping Bunny) and , as they themselves admit, they aren’t ever realy sure their white list is ever complying. Anyway, I will go into an entire post about animal testing at a later date. I contacted other companies as well. This one is from Bath and Body Works:

“Dear Monica,

We appreciate you taking the time to write us in regards to our policies, services and products. We value your inquiry and your interest in Bath & Body Works and The White Barn Candle Co.

Limited Brands, Inc. does not test its products on animals, nor does it request any of our third party manufacturers, or anyone else, to perform such tests on its behalf. We utilize ingredients in our formulations that are judged safe and we do not ask the supplier of those ingredients to perform any such tests on animals. Limited Brands, Inc. does not use any animal byproducts in its formulations where the animal is either slaughtered or harmed for the sole purpose of obtaining that material. We do condone the use of animal derived products where the animal is not harmed; for example, lanolin, milk, eggs, etc. Again, in keeping with our philosophy regarding the welfare of animals, Limited Brands, Inc. does not conduct animal testing, nor does it request suppliers to test on animals. I will forward your comments to our Executive Team about the Leaping Bunny Standard.

Thanks again for contacting us. We hope you will continue to enjoy your favorites from Bath & Body Works and The White Barn Candle Co. If we can do anything else for you, please feel free to reply to this e-mail (please do not change the subject line) or call us at 1-800-395-1001.

Sincerely,Tami Henry

Tami Henry
Customer Relations Representative“

While I’m at it … here’s a link to Mars’ polocy regarding animal testing on their website: http://www.mars.com/global/Who+We+Are/Commitment/Research+involving+animals.htm …. below is what Iams emailed me in response to my plea for them to stop testing on animals:

” Thank you for taking the time to write to us regarding our research and feeding studies. We are passionate about cats and dogs with a deep commitment to their health and welfare, so we understand how important this issue is to you.

For several years misleading and inaccurate information has been circulating and I appreciate this opportunity to provide you with the facts.

To ensure that our products are safe and wholesome, we have the responsibility to pet owners to feed our products to dogs and cats. Over 70% of the dogs and cats in our feeding studies live in consumers’ homes; however, some of our feeding studies require a controlled environment and are conducted at our own Pet Health and Nutrition Center or at an organization where pets are already residing-like animal shelters, or groups that train and provide assistance dogs.

The controlled studies are the veterinary equivalent of nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people. These studies are monitored by our own staff of veterinarians, behaviorists and independent experts. Our dogs and cats get the most advanced pet nutrition and health care as we develop formulas to help all cats and dogs live longer and healthier lives.

At our Pet Health and Nutrition Center , dogs are housed with a companion (because dogs are pack animals). Each kennel has a doggie-door that takes them to an outside run, so they have plenty of room to run and play. Each dog is provided with his or her own toys (rotated on a regular basis) and their very own comfortable bed to sleep on. There is also a dog park adjacent to the kennels where the dogs play and interact each day in play groups.

Our cats are housed in compatible play groups.  Each room is furnished with beds, toys (to stimulate play) and several perches, which allow the cats to observe things from a higher viewpoint. They also have a very large window, which has a platform for the cats to lie in the sun or just sit and watch the birds feeding at the outside bird feeders.

If you’re interested in reading more, please copy-and-paste the following URLs to your web browser.

Our Research Policy:

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/en_US/jhtmls/article/IT_Article_Page.jhtml;jsessionid=O1CKZFH2GEOQ5QFIAJ1YYCQ?li=en_US&pti=RP&articleID=2

Videos of dogs and cats at our facility:

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/en_US/jhtmls/landing/IT_Landing_Page.jhtml?li=en_US&pti=CV

Facility reports:

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/en_US/jhtmls/article/IT_Article_Page.jhtml?li=en_US&pti=BA&articleID=20#a1

You can also read about our nutritional studies and our facilities from the viewpoint of an independent animal welfare organization by utilizing the following URL: www.aspca.org/iams. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. If you need further information or have specific questions, please contact us at 800-525-4267. We’re very happy to speak with you about this very important issue. 

Sincerely,

Katie

Iams Team Member “

Ironically, I just checked and Iams and Mars are not on the “Black List”, but PETA has yet to stop their campaign against them or even realy announce the progress they have made so far. That’s it for now …

 I have recently begun to wonder about the connection between cows milk and strong bones. For example, countries that consume more animal protein seem to need more calcium (based on their government’s recommendeddaily amounts) … 

Consider this quote from: http://www.indoindians.com/food/soy.htm

“Let’s compare 100-gram portions (3.5 ounces) of soymilk vs. cow’s milk: 

Cow’s milk has 61 calories. Soymilk has 33 calories.

Cow’s milk contains 3.34 grams of fat. Soymilk contains 1.91 grams of fat. 

Cow’s milk has 14 milligrams of cholesterol and no dietary fiber. Soymilk contains 1.3 grams of fiber and has zero cholesterol. 

Cow’s milk contains a full range of amino acids. Soymilk also contains a full range of amino acids. Both contain plenty of protein. Cow’s milk actually has one- half gram more protein than the 100-gram portion of soymilk. 

As for the nine essential amino acids in protein necessary for sustaining life, cow’s milk and soy milk contain nearly identical amounts, but cow’s milk does win this one by a whisker, containing a mere one-fifth of a gram more essential amino acids than the soy. That may be a hollow victory for milk lovers because one of the nine essential amino acids is methionine. Cow’s milk contains more than twice as much methionine as does soymilk. The center atom of methionine is sulfur. Too much animal protein creates an acid condition in the blood which the body must neutralize by taking calcium from the bones. . Nations eating the most animal protein have the highest rates of osteoporosis. 

Soymilk contains greater amounts of other amino acids including arginine, alanine, aspartic acid, and glycine. Arginine slows the growth of cancers by strengthening the immune system. Alanine aids in the metabolism of sugars. Aspartic acid increases stamina and plays a vital role in metabolism, acting as an anti-oxidant. Glycine is necessary for brain and nervous system functioning and muscle/energy metabolism. 

When milk is pasteurized, Vitamins A, C, and D are destroyed. The same can be said for those vitamins when soymilk is manufactured. 

Soymilk does contain more than four times the amount of thiamin (Vitamin B-1) and nearly twice the amount of niacin (Vitamin B-3) as does cow’s milk. Soymilk also contains more magnesium, copper, and manganese than does cow’s milk. 

In order to absorb calcium, one needs magnesium. Copper also aids in bone formation. One early sign of osteoporosis is a deficiency in copper. Soymilk contains twelve times the amount of copper as does cow’s milk. 

Soymilk also contains 42 times the amount of manganese as does cow’s milk. Manganese is also needed for bone formation. People with anemia rely upon manganese for iron storage. Trace amounts of manganese are essential for neural transmissions, protein metabolism, and many other body functions. “

Well then … isn’t that interesting … here is a quote from http://www.warriorfitnessworld.com/images/soy%20milk%20vs%20cow%20milk.PNG based on the book “The New Wellnes Revolution”:

“

• Milk causes osteoporosis, despite advertising that states milk prevents it.
• Milk contains hormones and carries infectious diseases.  A normal cow produces about 10 pounds of milk per day.  However, dairy cows produce up to 100 pounds of milk per day because of the massive amount of specialized hormones such as bovine growth hormone (BGH) given to the cows.   This makes the cows udders so large that they drag on the floor which creates frequent infections and the need for constant antibiotics. 
• The USDA allows cow milk for consumption to have 1 to 1.5 million white blood cells (which is pus!) per milliliter.
• The growth hormones given to cows are a major cause of breast cancer in adults because the hormones act the same as it does in the cows.  The hormones cause malignant tumors in the human breast to grow just like in the cows.
• Despite the fact that numerous consumer groups have asked the FDA to ban BGH and other hormones, the FDA continues to allow the use because of powerful ADA lobbyists in Washington DC.
• Cows contaminate the environment.  For every 100 pounds of cow milk produced per day, a cow produces 120 pounds per day of waste which is equivalent to the waste of 24 people.
• Dairy products are the major cause to 65 percent of the American population being overweight.
• Milk accounts for 40 percent of the 4 pound of food an average American eats daily; however, it contains no fiber, and is filled with saturated fat and cholesterol.
• A glass of milk is 49 percent fat and the lower fat milk (like 2% milk) is only slightly lower in fat.

The book recommends switching to soy milk which has the following benefits: 

• Soy is the best low fat source of carbohydrates, fibers, protein, vitamins and minerals.
• Soy can help to prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer.
• Soy is high in calcium and does not contain casein proteins which cause calcium loss in bones.
• Soy reduces the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in menopausal women which is similar to estrogen-replacement therapy.
• The American Heart Association endorses soy to help consumers lower their (bad) cholesterol and reduce risk for heart disease.
• Soy contains more protein per weight than beef, fish, and chicken with no cholesterol and very little saturated fat.
• Of the 9 basic amino acids needed for the body that can’t be produced by the body, soy provides all 9, however, without the hormones, saturated fat and calories (as with cow milk and meat products).”