Antioxidants and knee joints

 
This article examined the preventative affects of vitamin C and E intake via whole foods on knee joint health.  Over a ten year period, men and women, mostly between the ages of 40 and 70, all with healthy knees, had their fruit and vegetable intake tracked via survey.  Their knees were examined at the beginning and end of the ten year period.  Subjects with the greatest intake of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins C and E were found to have the lowest occurrence of bone marrow lesions and tibial bone expansion, two common precursors to osteoarthritis.  The article concludes the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better chance you have or warding off osteoarthritis. 

 
Wang Y., et al.  Effect of antioxidants on knee cartilage and bone in healthy, middle-aged subjects: a cross-sectional study.  Arthritis Research and Therapy.  2007;9:R66.

 
Meat and body odor

 
Did you ever suspect meat eaters to smell worse than you?  I did too.  Well, a study finally supports that assumption.  Men went on a “meat” or “non-meat” diet for 2 weeks.  They used pads to absorb body odor during the last 24 hours of the diet.  The pads were then smelled by women and rated on “pleasantness.”  Seriously.  The non-meat diet resulted in more pleasant smells.

 
Havlicek J, Lenochova P.  The effect of meat consumption on body odor attractiveness.  Chem Senses.  2006;31:747-752.

 

Dairy consumption associated with Parkinson’s disease

 
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that typically alters speech and motor skills.  A group of nearly 131,000 people were studied for associations between dietary intake and risk of developing the disease.  Total consumption of dairy products was positively associated with Parkinson’s disease risk.  Only milk intake was associated with higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease.  To date, three prospective studies have evaluated the consumption of dairy products or milk in relation to Parkinson’s disease.  The results clearly indicated that a higher dairy/milk consumption was associated with a moderately increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.  It was most notable in men.  

 
Chen H., et al.  Consumption of dairy products and risk of Parkinson’s disease.  Am J Empidemiol.  2007;165:998-1006.

Compound in cruciferous vegetables and bladder cancer

 
Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, cabbage, radishes, and Brussels sprouts may help deter bladder cancer.  These vegetables have isothiocyanates (ITC), which may protect against cancer development.  Nearly 700 subjects with newly diagnosed bladder cancer were studied and compared to healthy controls.  The intake of ITC from cruciferous vegetables was compiled via questionnaire.  It is the first epidemiological report indicating that cruciferous vegetable consumption may protect against bladder cancer.   

 
Zhao H., et al.  Dietary isothiocyanates, GSTM1, GSTT1, NAT2 polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk.  Int J Cancer. 2007;120:2208-2213.

Thanks to OA's health editor, Ryan Andrews, for this month's news.

Vegansexual?
Would you have an intimate relationship with a non-vegan?  Annie Potts, a researcher at the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Human-Animal Studies found that vegans find sex with meat eaters disgusting!  Is this surprising to you?  I guess opposites don’t always attract.  
Read about it here.


Flaxseeds and cancer prevention
Flaxseed may be one of nature's weapons for fighting cancer, with new studies suggesting that it can be effective in helping the treatment of certain cancers. New study results from Johns Hopkins show that flaxseed had the effect of slowing down the growth rate of cancerous tumors. Flaxseeds contain lignans, which may prevent hormone related cancers.
Read about it here.


Whole-Grain Foods and Diabetes Protection
Ahhh, whole grains. Tasty and satisfying.  Good stuff.  As consumption of whole grain foods increases, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes decreases.  Whole grains actually provide nutrition whereas refined grains don’t do much more than look pretty on the grocery store shelf.
May 2007, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition


Standard American Diet and Obesity
New research indicates that consuming more plant protein in place of animal protein may help reduce the risk of becoming overweight/obese.  This was a cross-sectional analysis, so it isn’t causal.  But those who consume more plant proteins tend to be leaner!
August 2007, Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Thanks to OA's health editor, Ryan Andrews, for this month's news.

Click here for a full size image.

Ken Lyle writes:
"I am running my third, and likely last Richmond Marathon in 3 weeks, November 10.  I am looking for pledges to a meaningful cause.  I think that the 2008
elections may be the last ones that matter.  I would like everyone to pledge at least $1 per minute that I am under 4:00, to either the Ron Paul or Dennis
Kucinich campaigns."

richmondmarathon.com
ronpaul2008.com,
dennis4president.com

Today is the end of World Go Vegan Days, but don't let this be end of healthy, compassionate living.

The 3^rd annual World GO VEGAN Days are taking place this year from October 26th through 28th. These celebratory days of education and action are a time for people who care about animals, the environment, and their loved ones’ well-being to educate others about the vegan lifestyle as a compassionate, sustainable, and healthy way of eating and living.  

This year’s World GO VEGAN Days are being presented by some of the nation’s leading animal protection organizations, including The American Vegan Society (http://www.americanvegan.org/), Animal Acres (http://www.animalacres.org/), Animal Place (http://www.animalplace.org/), Animal Protection and Rescue League (http://www.aprl.org/), Compassion Over Killing (http://www.cok.net/), Farm Animal Reform Movement (http://www.farmusa.org/), Friends of Animals (http://www.friendsofanimals.org/), Go Vegan Radio (http://www.goveganradio.com), In Defense of Animals (http://www.idausa.org), Mercy for Animals (http://www.mercyforanimals.org/), and Veg News magazine (http://www.vegnews.com/).  

Eating vegan foods offers many significant advantages over consuming meat, dairy and eggs. For instance, plant-based meals are naturally cholesterol-free and generally lower in fat than those containing animal products. In addition, producing a plant-based diet requires far fewer resources and creates less pollution than raising animals for food. But for animal lovers, perhaps the most compelling reason for being vegan is that it prevents unnecessary suffering and death. Every person who goes vegan saves over 100 animals’ lives every year. Each of these animals is a living being who feels pain and wants to live as much as our beloved dogs and cats do. World GO VEGAN Days is a time for people to make this connection and become conscious of what—and who—they are eating, and that they can choose a non-violent alternative. 

There are lots of ways for anyone to get involved in World GO VEGAN Days. Here are some ideas for activities to take part in during these three days of action and beyond: 

- Plan an event or activity to get people interested in veganism, such as a public lecture, cooking demonstration, feed-in with vegan food samples, leafleting, tabling, library exhibit, or street theater performance. 

- Host a vegan potluck dinner or restaurant outing to show your family and friends that they don't have to sacrifice taste to save animals' lives. Sharing delicious vegan food with others is a fun and easy way to make a difference in the lives of animals and the people you care about. 

- Order t-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, pins and other fun stuff from (your organization’s online store or IDA http://www.idausa.org/shop-ida/index.html) and other vegan merchants to have for the day of your event.  

- Students: join or start a vegan club in your school and plan an event with your friends that will educate people about the benefits of a vegan diet to human health, animals, and the environment. 

- Host a screening of Peaceable Kingdom, an eye opening farmed animal documentary, at your local library or another venue. Invite a guest speaker to talk about farmed animal welfare issues. Contact [name of group or IDA at (415) 388-9641] for information on borrowing a copy of the DVD. 

- Write a letter to the editor about the benefits of a vegan diet or the cruelties of factory farming, or ask your local newspaper to write a story on the subject. 

- Enter cooking competitions and bake sales using vegan recipes. Emphasize the fact that you didn't use any animal ingredients to make your delicious dishes.  

- Add a link to the World GO VEGAN Days website from your website. To use one of our banners or buttons, go to http://www.idausa.org/vegandays/action.html, and simply right click on the banner or button of your choice to get the URL. If you are not sure how to edit your web page, consult your web designer or the person who created it. 

-If you run an animal protection organization, become a presenter of World GO VEGAN Days. There are no costs to you for joining us as a co-presenter. All you need is to post the World GO VEGAN Days banner on your web site, which links to the World GO VEGAN Days web page. Contact Melissa Gonzalez at (415) 388-9641, ext. 228 or Melissa@idausa.org for more information. 

- Visit a farmed animal sanctuary and take a friend who still eats meat. There are a number of farmed animal sanctuaries where you can visit rescued cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep and rabbits live naturally in peace and harmony without fear of abuse or slaughter. Check out Animal Acres (http://www.animalacres.org/), Animal Place (http://www.animalplace.org/), Farm Sanctuary (http://www.farmsanctuary.org/about/index.htm), Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary (http://www.animalsanctuary.org/), or IDA’s Project Hope (http://www.project-hope.net/).  

To learn more about veganism and World GO VEGAN Days, visit www.worldgovegandays.com.

 

Please don’t eat an apple a day—every day--even if it does keep the doctor away. Most apples are strictly a fall-winter season fruit. If you are heeding this folkloric health advice in the middle of summer, then chances are you’re either eating an apple that’s been in cold storage for more months than you’d care to imagine, or it’s been transported thousands of miles from the southern hemisphere. But now, as apple season is about to give way, we can eat apples with guilt-free abandon!

 

Originating from Central Asia, there are thousands of varieties of apples worldwide, each with a distinctive mealy-yet-crisp texture, sweet-tart ratio, and color. You’ll find every manner of conflicting advice regarding which apples are best for baking and which are best right off the tree. Though tart apples tend to hold their texture more during baking, everyone seems to have their own palate preference, so eat ‘em as is, or bake with them as you please. Just be sure they’re fresh, organic, and taste good! One bad apple, as they say, will ruin the whole barrel, no matter how long you cook it!

 

With fewer than 85 calories per fruit, fresh, raw apples, in particular, have liver-cleansing properties, removing toxic metals, and even radiation residues from the body. The skins are a rich source of flavonoids, like quercetin, which is helpful for people with asthma. Pectin, often used in making fruit preserves, is a gelatinous fiber found naturally in apples that helps regulate the bowels. In fact, pectin is found in the OTC diarrhea-remedy Kaopectate (hence it’s name); so skip the drugstore and eat a few apples instead.

 

From the garden of Eden and Greek tragedies, to Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, the maligned apple has been the dark subject of lore for thousands of years. Maybe that’s because the seeds of apples contain minute amounts of cyanide. Surely, however, they must have been referring to non-organically grown apples, which have high pesticide residues, a negative impact on the environment, and are often coated with wax to prolong their shelf-life!

 

Enjoy the organic apple harvest this fall while they’re in season. They are a great, portable fruit that travels well when you’re training or on the go. And don’t forget to pack one for the apple of your eye.

 

by X-tine Goodreau

Thanks to OA member X-tine Goodreau for this month's recipes!

Apple-Beet Salad with Ginger Dressing

Serves 2

• 1 organic Fuji apple
• 1 fresh beet (apple-sized)
• fresh arugula leaves

Ginger Dressing:

• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1+ TB fresh ginger, grated, juice retained
• 1 TB raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 TB raw agave syrup
• pinch of sea salt

Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside. With a very sharp knife, slice beet and apple into small matchsticks. Combine apples and beets together in a large bowl, stirring until apples are uniformly pink from the beet juice. Add dressing and stir gently to thoroughly coat. Serve atop a bed of fresh arugula leaves. (Note: Arugula not shown in picture).

Gingered Carrot Soup with Roasted Poblano Pepper

Serves 2 to 3

• 1 fresh Poblano pepper (pictured in background)
• 6 large carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 TB fresh ginger, chopped
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 TB miso paste
• 2 TB cashew butter
• 2 TB flax oil
• juice of 1 lime

Preheat broiler. Roast poblano pepper in broiler, turning repeatedly until all sides are blistered and blackened. Set aside to cool.

 

Place carrots in medium saucepan and fill pan with water until carrots are just covered. Cook over medium-high heat until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to a food processor or high-speed blender.

 

De-seed and de-stem poblano pepper. Slip off blackened, papery skin. Divide in half. Place half in blender and set other half aside. Add remaining ingredients to blender and puree until velvety smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding remaining roasted poblano if a spicier soup is desired. Serve warm.

 

Note: This soup is equally delicious without the spicy roasted Poblano pepper added.

Maple-Chai Rice Pudding

Serves 2

• 2 tea bags, Indian chai-spiced tea of your choice
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1 TB arrowroot power, dissolved in 3 TB water
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 4 TB pure maple syrup, grade B
• 2 TB coconut butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• fresh pecans or almonds, chopped, for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine almond milk and tea bags over medium-low heat. Warm gently, and cook about 6-7 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing gently to release tea flavor. Stir in dissolved arrowroot powder. Add brown rice and remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine. Increase heat to medium-high heat and bring mixture to a light boil, stirring frequently to prevent rice from sticking to bottom of pan. Continue cooking until liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Serve warm or chilled, garnished with chopped fresh pecans or almonds.

Food as medicine. The idea is so simple and profound, yet it’s currently perceived as such a radical notion. “Food as medicine” is found in the title of books, and nutrition programs, and even touted in the CNN archives to be a “new approach in the treatment of…[fill in disease here].” New?! The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, is credited with saying “Let food be thy medicine” a couple thousand years ago, but somehow our culture lost the message along the way. Some of you may be familiar with the “Brief History of Medicine” that is ascribed to some anonymous, perceptive individual. It goes something like this:

2000 BC: Here, eat this root. 1000 BC: That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer. 1850: That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion. 1920: That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill. 1975: That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic. 2000: That antibiotic is unnatural. Here, eat this root.

Well, I suppose we sometimes have to veer far off the path only to come right back to where we started. Perhaps, developmentally as a species, we humans are just at the tail end of the rebellious teen stage--testing the boundaries, trying to find our identities. And as we slowly emerge into early adulthood, we’re finally finding our way back to: Here, eat this root. Personally, I might also add: Eat this root and its leaves too, since the tops often contain even higher nutrient levels. Which gives me an opportunity to remind my fellow Organic Athletes to eat the tops of your roots!

At my local farmer’s market, every single week without fail I hear someone with a fresh bunch of carrots or beets in their hands ask, “Can you please remove the tops for me?” After cringing, I often find myself explaining to someone staring at me with wide-eyed astonishment, how many of the green tops of roots are edible. I describe how small, tender beet or turnip greens are lovely in a salad, and fresh carrot tops make a great condiment when minced with toasted sesame seeds and a dash of nama shoyu. (I’ve made a few converts, but more often than not I end up coming home with lots of ‘free’ edible greenery in my bag). And yes, those tops can be used as medicine, but that almost sounds too clinical. Without getting overly bogged down with semantics, how about: Eat this root (and leaves) because it tastes great and will make you feel damn good!

by OA member X-tine Goodreau.

We're clearing out our remaining 2007 merchandise.  There are great deals on several style of clothing.

• Triathlon Shorts - $54.95 $46.71 (30% OFF) - All sizes
• Triathlon Tops - $59.95 $50.96 (30% OFF) - All sizes
  
• Short Sleeve Jersey - $85 $72.25 (15% OFF) - only in small
  
• Long Sleeve Jersey - $139.95 $118.96 (15% OFF) - only in small and medium
  
• Cycling Bib Shorts - $115 $80.50 (30% OFF) - only in small
  
• Cycling Shorts -$99.95 $69.97 (30% OFF) - only small, large, and XL
  
• Cycling Jacket - $145 $123.25 (15% OFF) - only in small and medium
  
• Cycling Vest - $99.95 $84.96 (15% OFF) -  only in small
  
• Gloves - $24.95 $6.24 (75% OFF) - XL only
• Winter Hat - $39.95 $19.98 (50% OFF)

Go directly to the OrganicAthlete online store to purchase these items.  Save an additional 10% or 20% - member and team discounts still apply!  Discounts good for remaining stock only.

We also have a few miscellaneous items for sale for cheap:

• 2006 Cycling Shorts size XL - $20
• 2005 Women's Cycling Shorts size medium - $20
• 2007 Tour d'Organics Tshirts (S thru L) - $12 (nice organic cotton shirt!)
  
• 2006 Tour d'Organics Tshirts (M & L) - $8 (nice organic cotton shirt!)

Please contact bradley@organicathlete.org directly about these items.