Tips & Facts

Tonight I picked up Vegetarian Times Magazine. Feelings are mixed with the rag, because a lot of the issues they write about seem to ignore the fact that eating eggs, cheese and milk contribute to the problems they feature. For example, "According to a 2006 report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, animal farms around the globe generate 18 percent more greenhouse emissions than all of these transportation methods combined." (methods being cars, trucks, and buses) Its not surprising that the dairy industry supports the livestock industry including veal production. Veg Times began the article by stating that "eating beef is even worse for the environment than the greenhouse gases emitted from cars, trucks, and buses." I am certain that milk comes from cows, cows live on farms, cows emit greenhouse gases. Sadly, 70% of former forestland in Latin America is now used for grazing fields. Oh well, I guess eliminating meat eating leads to a shift in how people think about food and how it affects the world we live in. I don't expect everyone to go vegan today, but sometimes its hard to swallow stories that only tell half the facts.

TIP: Freeze an onion for 10 minutes prior to cutting. This will eliminate the sulfur oils that make you cry when handling onions.

I had no idea! Foot powders and sprays (including baby powder) used to eliminate athletes foot and such are created from talc rocks which absorb moisture and odor. Talc is closely related to ASBESTOS, a harmful mineral, which is linked to ovarian cancer (among other things.) T for Toes is made by lush, ad its made with lime, tea tree oils ad horsetail herbs to eliminate odor and moisture. Its a natural solution to icky toes. Another option is a mineral salt spray by Crystal Foot Deodorant spray.
Psoriasis and Dandruff shampoos often contain coal tar which is linked to cancer AND irritates and aggravates certain types of scalp psoriasis. Try instead: Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Shampoo OR John Masters Organics Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner.

Top Notch Pet Foods

My dogs are not full-time herbivores. They usually get a mix of foods and I often change their kibble each time I run out because their tummies can handle the switch easily. I don't recommend this for most dog moms and dads because it can cause an annoying and inconvenient bout with diarrhea or gas. There is absolutely no excuse for feeding your pet junk food. Brands often found in grocery stores like Safeway are made with byproducts like chicken feathers and poop, downer animals, bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, pesticide residues, antibiotics, and molds contained in pet food ingredients. Meat from sick animals may be loaded with drugs, some of which are known to pass unchanged through all the processing done to create a finished pet food (such as penicillin and phenobarbital). Between 1995 and 1999, there were two major recalls of dry dog food by different manufacturers due to mold contamination of grain ingredients. Some fungal toxins are very dangerous. The second recalled food killed more than 20 dogs. Never buy a food containing “by-product meal” or “meat and bone meal.” These rendered products are the most inexpensive sources of animal protein. The contents and quality of these meals can vary tremendously from batch to batch, and are not a reliable source of nutrition for your animal. Healthy and environmentally responsible foods are available at large chain stores like Petco & at small mom and pop stores in your neighborhood. Here are some great choices in different price ranges to keep your pup in tip top health.
MY FAVORITE FOR THE PRICE, QUALITY, AND AVAILABILITY:
NATURAL BALANCE VEGETARIAN DOG FOOD OR ORGANIC CHICKEN FORMULA

CASEY & WILEY (my moms doggies) and SAMMY & HB (my vizslas) go NUTS over:
Merrick's Grammy's Pot Pie Canned & Dry Food....new bags I saw announce "ORGANIC at no extra cost to you!" Merrick has an interesting business model. They help us choose food for our pets by naming them after popular human meals or creative mixes with interesting ingredients. They are very meat-minded, but they also offer organic so I feel okay recommending it over other brands.

IF YOUR DOGS BEG FOR FRUIT.....
CASTOR & POLLUX Natural Ultramix features natural chicken as the #1 ingredient! Fortified with Vitamins & Minerals. Wholesome fruits & vegetables that you can really see! There are banana chips, carrots, bananas, papaya, apples and blueberries in this food! Yummy.
C&P also features an organic food called ORGANIX.

Looking to BEEF UP YOUR KARMA?
KARMA dog food is 100% organic (ALL ingredients in the food, not just the meat is organic), the box is made of recyclable materials, and they manage the food from the way their ingredients are farmed to where the dog food is sold.


Other honorable mentions are:
EAGLE PACK Holistic Formulas
Jeffrey's Pet Food Store (soon online!) in the San Francisco bay area.
Its quite easy to make your pets food if they have allergies and such. A book I used to utilize daily when I made my dogs meals by hand was Dr. Pitcairn's Natural Health for Cats and Dogs book. Its available on Amazon.com.

Uncruel Beauty - Vegan Fashion in NY Times!!

I cannot tell you how many times I have read the Sunday Styles portion of the NY Times, hoping and praying one day there will be something about cruelty-free fashions! Finally, there is an awesome article today in the Thursday Styles (I think they just started this Thursday Styles section recently) about vegan fashions beyond the usual Stella McCartney goodies.
Read about some seriously fashionable vegan items and get happy!
Uncruel Beauty