Serving Up an Endangered Species

This story really struck a chord with me and I wanted to share it with all of you. In honor of World Cup, Cameron Selogie, owner of Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, AZ is serving burgers made with lion meat. The burger is a limited edition, costing patrons $21, a cost not nearly as damaging as the one to the endangered species.

Selogie claims that meat comes from a free-range farm in Illinois, but gee, guess what? No one can seem to find this farm. Who in the heck raises lions for meat in the U.S. anyway? I actually hope that this a publicity thing and that there isn’t a Simba in the burgers at all. Selogie is obviously experiencing the wrath of animal rights activists from all over, which he can’t fathom. “Frankly, I’m a little shocked with all the problems in the world today, with the oil spill and immigration, that people have this much time to talk about 10 pounds of lion meat,” he said. What a tool.

UPDATE June 30, 2010: Selogie is now questioning whether the meat he received is even legit, meaning, was it hunted or farm raised in this mysterious Illinois farm. Serving lion meat is completely legal in the US and African lion is not in fact endangered, like it’s Asiatic cousin. Selogie bought the 10 pounds of lion meat from what he says is a Phoenix-based wild game distributor. The meat came from a shipper in Illinois. The owner of this company, Richard Czimer, claimed that the meat was inspected by the USDA, but according to the USDA, they had not done so. Czimer was even in jail in 2003 for illegally selling tiger and leopard meat. No one really knows where exactly the meat has come from–whether it came from circus lions, farmed, or shot in the wild. Either way, it’s absolutely horrible. And Selogie is still a tool. So is Czimer.

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What’s in Your Kid’s School Lunch? And Why?

Since kindergarten, my son has taken his lunch to school. Not because he was always a vegan (that only happened several months ago), but have you seen the crap they serve?! I mean, I think we all remember those days at the school cafeteria where the cheese on the pizza never moved and the chicken nuggets were like eating seasoned sponges. After watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, I fell in love with him. Even though he’s not a vegan, I commend him for trying to get changes made in American school lunches. The Obama’s are taking this very serious, too, and that gives me hope.

The USDA has guidelines that date back to 1995 that schools must abide by, or they lose their federal funding.  The government buys surplus commodities at a discounted rate that are ordered way in advance. They have to get eaten. So who gets all the frozen, processed crap? Your kids. And the even tougher part is that the healthier food costs more and will kids even eat it? To me, it’s a vicious cycle if something doesn’t change.

Read can read more about this at VegNews and get the full scoop.

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Who Cut the. . .spinach?

Ok, so we’ll end today’s post on a lighter note. I’m just gonna say it—vegans can be a gassy bunch. It’s a common issue with vegans and vegetarians since we consume a large amount of fiber from vegetables and grains. When you’ve consulted the doc and you know it just all that excess fiber, you may have to make some changes.

Drink lots of water. I have never been a very good water-drinker, but I have seen the light and drink between 64 and about 82 ounces of water a day and I’ve noticed a big difference, so water retention can also be a issue.

Know your fiber. Dietary fiber is the edible portions of plant cell walls that are resistant to digestion and extremely beneficial component of our diets. With this fiber, you feel fuller longer. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance and swells when mixed with water. It helps moderate blood glucose levels and lower cholesterol. Good sources of soluble fiber include oats and oatmeal, legumes, barley, fruits and vegetables (especially oranges, apples and carrots). Insoluble fiber does not absorb or dissolve in water and passes through our digestive system in close to its original form.  Insoluble fiber offers many benefits to intestinal health, including a reduction in the risk and occurrence of colorectal cancer, hemorrhoids, and constipation.

Process of elimination. Maybe there is just one thing you’re eating that causing the problems. Soy is said to sometimes cause bloat and gas. Go without it for a few weeks (which would be a monumental task for me)! Cut out white flour, or white rice. Switch to whole wheat pasta. And keep a food diary–you’ll be amazed at the patterns you’ll find and it may be easier to pinpoint the culprit.

Be good to your belly. Take a probiotic. Good Belly is a vegan juice loaded with probiotics and help keeps our bodies’ bacteria balanced. It works. And, it tastes good! You can get it at most health food stores and I buy them in small single-serve shot-like glasses, but they also come in quarts.

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To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana.

— Buddha