Blog - Joyful Curmudgeon - Blog
A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 

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Welcome Positive Change – 23 February 2009
By Mary T. Hoffman

In the book Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating by Erik Marcus, there is a chapter titled “Eat Well to Weigh Less” in which Terry Shintani, M.D. is quoted as saying:

“ ‘Here in Hawaii the native Hawaiian people have almost the highest rate of obesity in the world. But just 100 years ago, well before Hawaii was annexed by the U.S., almost no Hawaiians had weight problems. As a medical student, I used to look at photographs and other records of nineteenth-century Hawaiians. I wondered why yesterday’s Hawaiians stayed thin while so many today have problems with their weight.’ ”

“ ‘I started researching what and how traditional Hawaiians ate. They raised no cattle. …the people who enjoyed the best health filled their plates with fruits and vegetables. Three of the most common foods eaten in Hawaii 100 years ago were taro, sweet potatoes, and poi.’”

“Taro is a root vegetable, and poi is a traditional Hawaiian food made from the taro root.”

“ ‘The reason many of us have weight problems is that we’re eating a lot of animal-based foods. Animal foods are so rich in calories that you probably can’t satisfy your hunger with them without gaining weight. When you fill up on animal foods, you’ll reach your daily calorie limit long before you satisfy your hunger.’ ”

Dr. Shintani says that “no matter where you live or travel, I encourage you to eat the widest possible variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.” He adds that there are a few plant-based foods that are fatty: nuts, seeds, avocados, coconuts, and vegetable oils.

Obesity has become a problem with many other people who have abandoned their traditional way of eating for the Standard American Diet (SAD). Three that come to mind besides the Hawaiians are Native Americans, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans. And with obesity come such diseases as diabetes, cancer, heart attacks, strokes, etc.

The key to regaining health is very easy and lots of fun. There’s a whole world of exciting, delicious vegan foods out there for those who welcome positive change.

For vegan health articles, visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/health.html 

For great-tasting vegan recipes, photos, and information, visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes.html 

Go on to: Dominion - 24 February 2009
Return to: Hope - 22 February 2009
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