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Hi! I would like to meet more vegan or vegetarian brothers and sisters around the world. I've been a vegetarian since 2008, although it hasn't been easy to accept and forgive the prejudices of other members of Jehovah's people. Last Tuesday, for example, a sister told me that, since Jehovah authorized the consumption of meat, we were against the divine purpose… that's why we have 2 groups on Facebook, to interchange encouragement: https://www.facebook.com/groups/979968315365585 http://www.facebook.com/groups/997593600263055

We have an assembly coming up this month and looking to change things up from the usual sandwich! Would love to hear what you usually prepare for yourself or your family for the lunch break?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIwvsj40sBY Hungarian Goulash - Allan Sherman - A Krazy K Music Video http://www.songlyrics.com/allan-sherman/hungarian-goulash-no-5-lyrics/ Pumpernickel comes from Lithuania. Hassenpfeffer comes from Pennsylvania. Wiener schnitzel's Austrian or German. Kindly pass the sauerbraten, Herman.

SEA region https://jomkeseoul.blogspot.com/2015/10/pisang-kaki-korea.html I got mine at the night market in my housing estate. 7 pieces for a little more than USD 2. Seedless. Is it ok to eat with the skins on?

An opportunity to know and understand our brothers and sisters from the various lands. Arts : Music, songs, movies, prose writing, poetry, dancing, sculpture, painting, fashion, handicraft(weaving, embroidery, Batik) etc Culture : People (ethnic groups) Basic local words for Tourists, Cuisine (Food, cooking) education, customs(taboo) etc Many South East Asian people love Hindi movies and although they may not know the language, they will happily sing along. What a great way to learn a new language! Nothing like knowing a few local words to break the ice with natives when travelling abroad.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/weed-killing-chemical-found-in-some-breakfast-foods/ why do they act like there surprised

Several times over the last few months I have seen/read of people laughing at humans because we open bananas at the stem end. “Chimps know best!” they say. “They open them from the other end!” Thinking that perhaps humans were the fourth most intelligent life form on earth rather than the third, I gave it a try. Well it’s rubbish! Chimps are stupid and we should be showing them how to do it properly. #rantOver #neverAgain

What common ingredient in food completely ruins it for you? I have many things. Ruccola, for one... And don't get me started on all the soy 'alternatives'...

Just for fun everyone, answer the following questions: 1. What food(s) don't you like, but eat anyway because you know its healthy for you? (i.e. organic, non-gmo) 2. Which food are your sinful indulgences? 3. What type of foreign food/cuisine have you never had, but would like to sample? 4. What food/delicacies would you not try under any normal circumstances? I'll begin: 1. Oatmeal (I can't get past the texture.) 2. Anything with chocolate or ice cream in the recipe. 3. Game meat. (Well, if the Masaai can eat elephant, crocodile, etc. why not me?) 4. Insects (protein or no protein)...I'll just leave it at that. Let the confessional begin!

Maple Leaf Foods in Canada is looking for a "BACON Ambassador". Jerry came to mind. Wait. He would have to share! It is true

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/look-inside-a-chicken-nugget/280720/ Biting social commentary by Banksy in an installation at the Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill in New York's East Village (Mario Tama/Getty)The chicken nugget can conjure purity. No buns, pickles, or bones. Not many carbs, apart from the breading. This is simplicity delivered economically, flightless birds, protein for the protein-hungry America of today—or, to followers of Michael Pollan, the corn-fed-meat-wrapped-in-corn-preserved-breading-dipped-in-corn-sweetened-goo kind of purity. Richard D. deShazo, MD, is a distinguished professor of medicine and pediatrics at University of Mississippi Medical Center. He does not see purity. At least, not anymore. “I was floored. I was astounded,” deShazo said of the moment he looked at a chicken nugget under a microscope. Dr. deShazo has been concerned about the American diet for a while. Recently, he says, he "got a little curious about chicken nuggets" because "it almost seemed like they were habituating—that kids were addicted to the chicken nuggets." So he asked a colleague, pathologist Steven Bigler, MD, to see what's inside the nuggets by cutting them open "just like a human being [in an autopsy]." Bigler and deShazo dissected two random chicken nuggets from different restaurants. They will not tell us which—because this is meant as an interesting reminder, not a Sinclarian exposé—beyond that they are "national fast-food chain restaurants near [the] academic health center in Jackson, Mississippi." (Probability is high that one of these restaurants has a clown for a mascot and professes to literally sell happiness to children, in that there are four of said restaurants within two miles of the medical center. One is within the hospital.) DeShazo and Bigler's work is published in the American Journal of Medicine. This is what they saw: (University of Mississippi)The nugget from the first restaurant (breading not included) was approximately 50 percent muscle. The other half was primarily fat, with some blood vessels and nerve, as well as "generous quantities of epithelium [from skin of visceral organs] and associated supportive tissue." That broke down overall to 56 percent fat, 25 percent carbohydrates, and 19 percent protein. The nugget from the second restaurant was 40 percent skeletal muscle, as well as "generous quantities of fat and other tissue, including connective tissue and bone." That was 58 percent fat, 24 percent carbs, and 18 percent protein. "It's almost like super glue that we're eating. In some fast-food restaurants." "We've taken a very healthy product—lean, white meat—and processed it, goo-ed it up with fat, sugar, and salt [in the breading]," he said. "Kids love that combination." So do non-kids. DeShazo and Bigler's conclusion: "Chicken nuggets are mostly fat, and their name is a misnomer. That is, "because the predominant components aren't chicken." At least, not in the sense that chicken implies meat (not fat and skin). "When chicken is processed, there's some chicken left on the bone," deShazo—who also hosts a wellness program on the local public radio affiliate— explained. "You can actually vibrate that stuff off, and you get these chicken leftovers, and you can put it together, mix it up with other substances, and come out with a goo that you can fry and call a chicken nugget. It's a combination of chicken, carbohydrates, and fats, and other substances that make it glue together. It's almost like super glue that we're eating. In some fast-food restaurants." Chef Jamie Oliver made nuggets that way a few years ago on his television show Food Revolution, in front of kids, chopping and blending a remnant carcass. The feckless children screamed, but still asked to eat the nuggets. "We've brainwashed our kids so brilliantly," Oliver said, "that even though they know something is disgusting and gross, they'll still eat it if it's in that friendly little shape." "Even though they know something is disgusting and gross, they'll still eat it if it's in that friendly little shape." The National Chicken Council (NCC) is unimpressed by deShazo's work. "Chicken nuggets are an excellent source of protein," Dr. Ashley Peterson, NCC's vice president of science and technology, told Reuters. "Especially for kids who might be picky eaters. This study evaluates only two chicken nugget samples out of the billions of chicken nuggets that are made every year." The NCC maintains, in an appeal to food nostalgia, "Mechanically separated chicken has been used in poultry products since 1969." What's more, emphasis theirs, "[Mechanically separated chicken] is NOT typically used in chicken nuggets or patties. Mechanically separated poultry is regulated and inspected by USDA and products containing it must declare it as an ingredient on the label. Mechanical systems prevent waste of nutritious meat and avoid the repetitive motion that would be required to perform close trimming by hand." And to the meat-glue allegation, the NCC defends: "Transglutaminase, referred to by some as 'meat glue,' is an enzyme sold for almost two decades that is used mostly in food service to bind pieces of meat together, such as a beef tenderloin or a strip of bacon to a filet. It is not used to make chicken nuggets. It is unnecessary–protein is extracted with salt and phosphate, then breast or thigh meat is ground or chopped and then easily formed into a nugget shape. The breading helps hold the nugget together, as well." Dr. Richard deShazo (University of Mississippi)DeShazo is quick to note that not all chicken nuggets are equal, and some do a better job of being meaty. Some chains are outspoken in addressing recent concerns about this, including KFC and Chick-fil-A, which advertise that their nuggets are entirely breast meat. Small studies like this are good for consumer awareness that drive demand in that direction. The NCC reminds us that all products must include nutrition information on labels. For fast food chains, you can ask them for a pamphlet or check their website. (The NCC also contends that products whose ingredients contain "rib meat" are just as good as breast meat: "Rib meat is simply a natural extension of the breast meat.") The takeaway from this study is a reminder to look at the numbers if you're eating a lot of nuggets. The numbers and images deShazo generated in this little project are on his side in writing: "Chicken nuggets available at national fast food chains operating in a state with an epidemic of obesity and obesity-related disease [Mississippi is the most obese state] remain a poor source of protein and are high in fat." Just, not all nuggets. "Medical professionals should advise patients of the limited nutritional value of many processed foods," he writes, "including this product."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2380308/250-000-hamburger-First-test-tube-grown-beef-served-London-restaurant-week.html The artificial burger will be cooked and served for the first time this week It cost in the region of £250,000 to produce the prototype The 5oz beef burger is grown from the stem cells of one cow Creator Professor Mark Post believes the development could help solve problems in the meat industry The world’s first test-tube burger will be served in London next week. It is made from meat grown in a laboratory, rather than cattle raised in pastures. And its developers hope it will show how the soaring global demand for protein can be met without the need for vast herds of cattle. The 5oz ‘Frankenburger’, which cost £250,000 to produce, is made from 3,000 tiny strips of meat grown from the stem cells of a cow. The raw meat is said to be grey with a slippery texture similar to squid or scallop. World first: One lucky person will be able to try the first test tube burger, but it cost £250,000 It has been created by Professor Mark Post, from the University of Maastricht in Holland. His research has been funded by an anonymous businessman – who may be the first to try the burger. He told The Independent on Sunday: 'Right now, we are using 70 per cent of all our agricultural capacity to grow meat through livestock. You are going to need alternatives. If we don’t do anything meat will become a luxury food and will become very expensive.’ A four-step technique is used to turn stem cells from animal flesh into a burger. First, the stem cells are stripped from the cow’s muscle. Next, they are incubated in a nutrient broth until they multiply many times over, creating a sticky tissue with the consistency of an undercooked egg. This ‘wasted muscle’ is then bulked up through the laboratory equivalent of exercise - it is anchored to Velcro and stretched. Finally, 3,000 strips of the lab-grown meat are minced, and, along with 200 pieces of lab-grown animal fat, formed into a burger. The process is still lengthy, as well as expensive, but it could take just six weeks from stem cell to supermarket shelf. Time: Once optimised, Professor Mark Post's method could mean that the time from stem cell to supermarket shelf could be reduced to six weeks Biology: Dutch scientist Mark Post with samples of in-vitro meat, or cultured meat grown in a laboratory, at the University of Maastricht His work is funded by the Dutch government, as well as an anonymous donation of 300,000 euros - but it remains to be seen, however, whether the pioneering development will find favour with a public that likes to think of its chops, steaks and sausages as having their roots in nature, rather than in test-tubes. He first attempts involved mouse burgers. He then tried to grow pork in a dish, producing strips with the rubbery texture of squid or scallops, before settling on beef. His burger consists of about 20,000 thin strips of cultured muscle tissue. The cell-grown burger is produced with materials — including fetal calf serum, which used to grow the cells — that will eventually be replaced by materials not orginating from animals, the New York Times reported. In-vitro meat or cultured meat is an animal flesh product that has never been part of a complete, living animal, and is quite different from imitation meat or meat substitutes, which are vegetarian foods made from vegetable proteins like soy. Scientists say that it is possible the meat will be sold to the public within ten years. It also reduces the amount of feed, water and fuel needed to produce beef. Every kilo of meat requires 10 kilos of plant feed and oil, but cultured meat would only need two. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation we will be eating twice as much meat as we do now by 2050. Each individual in Briton eats on average 85kg meat a year. Professor Post added: ‘It comes down to the fact that animals are very inefficient at converting vegetable protein into animal protein. This helps drive up the cost of meat. It is thought that the new form of meat could be acceptable to vegetarians, and animal rights organisations have already given their approval. Environmentally friendly: Cultured meat uses 99 per cent less land than regular livestock Peta spokesman Ben Williamson said: We do support lab-grown meat if it means fewer animals are eaten. Anything that reduces the suffering of animals wold be welcome.’ Peta also runs a competition offering a $1million prize for the person who invents an artificial form of chicken meat. Oxford university scientists said in 2011 that cultured beef would need 45 per cent less energy that natural beef. They added that it would require 99 per cent less land than regular livestock and produce between 78 and 95 per cent less greenhouse gas. But, the difficulty may be persuading the public to eat an artificial product. Professor Post said that it is possible to add fatty tissue and nutrients to it, changing the taste and making it more palatable for the public. But before it became commercially viable, the Food Standards Agency have said that they would have to provide evidence showing it is safe for the public to consume and nutritionally equivalent to regular meat.

The video is a little behind the times now with many countries banning GMO and new test results. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/09/how-bug-becomes-instantly-resistant-to-insecticide-by-swallowing-bacteria.aspx

http://www.honeycolony.com/article/american-foods-chock-full-of-ingredients-banned-in-other-countries/ More than 3,000 food additives — preservatives, flavorings, colors, and other ingredients — are added to foods in the United States. While each of these substances are legal to use in the United States, whether or not they are safe for long-term consumption — by themselves or in combination — is a different story altogether. Many have been deemed too harmful to use in other countries. When you consider that about 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed foods loaded with these additives, it’s no wonder most people are carrying a hefty toxic load that can wreak havoc on their health. A list of ingredients that are banned across the globe but still allowed for use in America recently made the news. The list is featured in the new book Rich Food, Poor Food, authored by nutritionist Mira Calton and her husband Jayson. Link to original article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/27/us-food-products.aspx The banned ingredients include various food dyes, the fat substitute Olestra, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate (a.k.a. brominanted flour), Azodicarbonamide, BHA, BHT, rBGH, rBST, and arsenic. Seeing that the overall health of Americans is so much lower than other industrialized countries, you can’t help but wonder whether toxic ingredients such as these might play a role in our unhealthy conditions. Meanwhile, Russia has announced that it plans to extend a ban on U.S. beef, pork, and turkey imports coming into effect this month, due to the feed additive ractopamine in the meats. Ractopamine is a growth stimulant banned in several countries, including Russia. Processed Foods Depend On Additives When foods are processed, not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the textures and natural variation and flavors are also lost. After processing, what’s left behind is a bland, uninteresting “pseudo-food” that most people wouldn’t want to eat. So at this point, food manufacturers must add back in the nutrients, flavor, color, and texture to processed foods in order to make them palatable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives. Most commonly, additives are included to slow spoilage, prevent fats and oils from going rancid, prevent fruits from turning brown, fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace the natural ones that were lost during processing, and improve taste, texture, and appearance. When reading product packages, here are some of the most common food additives to watch out for: Preservatives: sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT, TBHQSweeteners and artificial sweeteners: fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K)Artificial colors: FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2Artificial flavorsFlavor enhancers: monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extractTop Offenders to Avoid According to the Caltons, the following 13 additives are the worst of the more than 150 individual ingredients they investigated during their six-year long journey, which took them through 100 different countries. Coloring agents: blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6 Found in: Cake, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet food, and cheese Health hazards: Most artificial colors are made from coal tar, which is a carcinogen. Olestra (a.k.a. Olean) Found in: Fat-free potato chips Health hazards: Depletes fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids. Side effects include oily anal leakage. Brominated vegetable oil (a.k.a. BVO) Found in: Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas Health hazards: Competes with iodine for receptor sites in the body, which can lead to hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, and cancer. The main ingredient, bromine, is a poisonous, corrosive chemical, linked to major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss. Potassium bromate (a.k.a. brominated flour) Found in: Rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, and bagel chips Health hazards: See bromine above. Associated with kidney and nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal discomfort. Azodicarbonamide Found in: Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods Health hazard: Linked to asthma BHA and BHT Found in: Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer Health hazards: May be a human carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent, and can cause organ system toxicity. Synthetic hormones: rBGH and rBST Found in: Milk and dairy products Health hazards: Linked to breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Arsenic Found in: Poultry Health hazard: EPA classifies inorganic arsenic as a “human carcinogen.” What’s With The Double Standards? The food industry has already formulated safer, better products for other countries, in which these and other harmful ingredients are banned. So why do they insist on selling inferior versions in America? For clear examples, take a look at a recent article on 100 Days Of Real Food. In it, Vani Hari shows the ingredient labels of several common foods sold in the United States and the U.K., such as Betty Crocker’s red velvet cake mix, McDonald’s French fries, and Pizza Hut’s garlic cheese bread. Amazingly, while these foods can be created using a bare minimum of additives in the U.K. (and sometimes none), in the United States, they’re absolutely loaded with chemicals. “The food industry does not want us to pay attention to the ingredients nor do they care about the negative effects from eating them. They certainly don’t care about the astronomical medical bills that are a direct result of us eating the inferior food they are creating,” Vani Hari writes. “…We as a collective nation must stop this trajectory of sickness and rising health care costs, by understanding the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. We must challenge the U.S. food industry to discontinue the use of banned ingredients that are not allowed elsewhere in the world. We deserve to have the same quality food without potential toxins.” Russia Issues Long-Term Ban On U.S. Meat In related “questionable food” news, Russia recently banned U.S. meat supplies after discovering it contains ractopamine — a beta agonist drug that increases protein synthesis, thereby making the animal more muscular. This reduces the fat content of the meat. As reported by Pravda, Russia is the fourth largest importer of U.S. meats, purchasing about $500 million worth of beef and pork annually. Effective February 11, Russia no longer allows U.S. meat imports, stating the ban “is likely to last for a long time.” All meat suppliers wishing to sell their meat and meat products to Russia must certify their meat as ractopamine-free — a condition the United States has so far refused to comply with. The drug is banned for use in 160 countries, including China and Russia, but allowed in 24 countries, including Canada and the United States. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers ractopamine safe and doesn’t test for it, Russia’s chief health inspector, Gennady Onishchenko, claims there are “serious questions” about the safety of the drug. He previously told the New York Times: “For instance, use of ractopamine is accompanied by a reduction in body mass, suppression of reproductive function, increase of mastitis in dairy herds, which leads to a steep decline in the quality and safety of milk.” Ractopamine is also known to affect the human cardiovascular system, and may cause food poisoning, according to Pravda. It’s also thought to be responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown, and can increase death and disability in livestock. While other drugs require a clearance period of around two weeks to help ensure the compounds are flushed from the meat prior to slaughter (and therefore reduce residues leftover for human consumption), there is no clearance period for ractopamine. In fact, livestock growers intentionally use the drug in the last days before slaughter in order to increase its effectiveness. According to veterinarian Michael W. Fox, as much as 20 percent of ractopamine remains in the meat you buy from the supermarket. Despite potential health risks, the drug is used in 45 percent of U.S. pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys. What’s The Simplest Way To Avoid Harmful Food Additives? Ditch processed foods entirely. (If you live in Europe you may have more options than Americans, as you may be able to find some processed foods that do not contain any synthetic additives.) About 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food is spent on processed foods, so there is massive room for improvement in this area for most people. Swapping your processed food diet for one that focuses on fresh whole foods may seem like a radical idea, but it’s a necessity if you value your health. And when you put the history of food into perspective, it’s actually the processed foods that are “radical” and “new.” People have thrived on vegetables, meats, eggs, fruits, and other whole foods for centuries, while processed foods were only recently invented. If you want to eat healthy, I suggest you follow the 1950s (and before) model and spend quality time in the kitchen preparing high-quality meals for yourself and your family. If you rely on processed inexpensive foods, you exchange convenience for long-term health problems and mounting medical bills. For a step-by-step guide to make this a reality in your own life, simply follow the advice in my optimized nutrition plan along with these seven steps to wean yourself off processed foods. When it comes to staying healthy, avoiding processed foods and replacing them with fresh, whole foods is the “secret” you’ve been looking for. Additionally, the more steps your food goes through before it reaches your plate, the greater your chances of contamination becomes. If you are able to get your food locally, you eliminate numerous routes that could expose your food to contamination with disease-causing pathogens.

Since deciding to go vegan, we started to learn about the horrific process by which animals are raised and killed for human consumption. If you are a new vegan or vegetarian and have not really dissected industrial meat production or factory farming, go have a look here. But be warned, it’s disturbing and frankly, completely indefensible. Ever hear of poop foam explosions on hog “farms?” How about zilpaterol or ractopamine? Zilpaterol is given to beef cattle to make them gain muscle weight (it’s a steroid), but when fed to horses, there were adverse effects. So, apparently not okay for horses, but a-okay for cows since they’re headed for slaughter—and then consumed by humans? One study found a variety of issues with the reproductive health of both male and female rats exposed to these endocrine disrupting chemicals. Ractopamine is another drug given to pigs, cattle and turkeys, and more disturbingly it is fed to them right before slaughter so that the drug remains in the animals’ systems at death, and then consumed by humans. It was first tested for asthma in humans but failed, and it is now sold under a variety of brand names for animal use, including Paylean and Topmax. The link below takes you to an article from Nutrition Facts dot org, we urge you to read the entire article: Studies over the last decade have shown that pigs on ractopamine may have chronically elevated heart rates, increased stress reactions, and difficulty walking. In fact the warning label reads: ‘‘Caution: Pigs fed PAYLEAN are at an increased risk for exhibiting the downer pig syndrome,” a condition in which pigs are too sick, injured, or exhausted to stand and may be dragged to slaughter. It’s not just bacon you are eating, or turkey or beef anymore. It’s all the drugs, chemicals and antibiotics pumped into those miserable animals during the short course of their lives that wind up not only in your body, but in the water supply, air, earth and possibly passed onto your children while in utero. Banned in many other countries but not the United StatesChina is the largest consumer of pork products in the world with an ever-growing appetite for more. The thing is, China is very protectionist when it comes to importing foreign goods and with the potential buyout of Smithfield by a company with Chinese ties, for the sole purpose of importing U.S. pork into China, Smithfield has begun eliminating the use of ractopamine in some of its livestock. Why? Because China has banned ractopamine for safety reasons, along with 159 other countries including Russia, the European Union, Malaysia and Taiwan. But why would Smithfield still use it here in the United States but stop its use for Chinese exports? All we can say is follow the money trail or the lobbying trail, which are really one and the same. You are what you eat. http://www.vegtosterone.com/2013/06/25/whats-in-your-bacon-ractopamine-thats-what-banned-in-160-countries-except-the-u-s/