Gobbler not on this Thanksgiving menu

View PDF | Print View
by: Guest Total views: 350 Word Count: 1011   

NORWALK - The traditional Thanksgiving feast features a golden roasted turkey flanked by mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

But recent emphasis on healthy eating and the environmental effect of meat diets on global warming has many opting for alternatives this Turkey Day.

Vegan Priscilla Feral has ditched typical Thanksgiving dishes for those based on soy and inspired by vegetables.

Feral, president of the Friends of Animals, a nonprofit advocacy group, adopted a vegan lifestyle 15 years ago and has been championing a plant-based diet for more than 20 years.

"I don't think there's a benefit in meat. I dispute it. The more we get away from meat, the better we are," Feral said yesterday from her kitchen as she gathered ingredients for her chestnut soup.

Feral's "veganized" menu has all the fixings with appetizers, a main course and dessert.

For starters, guests will enjoy carrot pate seasoned with olive oil, dill and miso. There are side dishes of green beans with almonds cooked with vegan margarine and Feral's favorite, mashed Yukon potatoes whipped with soy creamer, sea salt and chives.

The main dish, tempeh London broil, a soy bean-based cake marinated in olive oil, wine, lemon juice and tamari - a wheat-free soy sauce - is a "crowd pleaser," Feral said.

The meal is topped off with a choice of dairy-free spiced pumpkin cheesecake or apple crisp.

Feral and her husband, Bob Orabona, spend about 12 hours preparing the meal. Today, they expect about five guests at their dinner table in the Rowayton section of Norwalk, including their daughter, Jane, 24, who is coming from New Jersey.

The guest list includes vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters, but no one leaves hungry, Feral said. Generally, vegetarians include milk, eggs and other dairy foods in their diets but vegans eat no animal products.

"Nobody says, where is the turkey? I think people are probably surprised at the seasoning of the food," she said.

Adopting a vegan lifestyle takes discipline, but is not as difficult as people may think, said Feral, who co-wrote a cookbook last year. She watches cooking shows and scans cookbooks for recipes she can veganize, such as her great-grandmother's ginger cookie recipe.

Organic and dairy-free products and soy foods are more accessible and flavorful than they were 30 years ago, particularly in the Northeast, Feral said.

"Back in the '70s, people wouldn't expect the quality of the food to be inspiring, thinking it would taste like cardboard," she said. "It's possible to have fantastic food if you bother to learn how to cook."

Data on the environmental effects of a vegan diet is limited because only a small portion of the population adheres to it. A recent Slate article said that 2 percent to 5 percent of Americans consider themselves vegetarian. Of that number, about 5 percent are vegans.

But the number of people who advocate vegetables and grains over eggs and hamburgers is increasing.

"We have to do more than talk about oil use in cars and where we're driving. What we put in our refrigerators is also relevant," Feral said. "The benefit would be contributing less to greenhouse gases that drive the climate change. It's a benefit to your health, to animals and the environment."

According to a 2005 University of Chicago study, going vegetarian has the same effect on decreasing gas emissions as switching from an SUV to a Toyota Camry.

The study said greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming are linked to fossil fuels burned when producing beef, and animal waste and livestock that emit non-carbon dioxide gases. By decreasing meat and dairy in a diet, a person helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the report said.

Using land more efficiently can cut down on the burning of fossil fuels, according to recent Cornell University study. For example, cattle grazing on land not suitable for crops means it's more likely that meat and dairy will be processed locally, rather than being imported from other sources. The effect is less fossil fuel burned because the sources of food production are fewer.

Nutritionists and dietitians don't dispute that less meat in a diet is healthier, but the trick is learning how to replace nutrients and minerals found in animal products.

"I think it can be a very healthy way of eating. But you have to know what you're doing when you're putting together a meal," said Lynda Mezansky, a registered dietitian for Stamford Hospital. Vegetarians and vegans most often fail to include minerals such as zinc, iron, calcium and B-12 - found in meat and milk - in their meals.

Starving the body of the nutrients can lead to anemia, sickness and eating disorders, said Tara Gidus, national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"You can eat a vegan diet and get the nutrients but it is difficult to do that if you don't replace it with soy products and fortified products," Gidus said.

She recommends vegans and vegetarians take a multivitamin and look for calcium in fortified food products such as soy milk and beans.

Feral said she hopes the vegan lifestyle inspires others to embrace healthier eating habits.

"The goal is to not have a garbage diet and the challenge is to learn how to cook," she said.

Rice Unification, offering consumers a wider choice of catering space, consumers can search the Internet or by telephone at any time advisory, in accordance with the tastes of individual preference, suitable sites hope that the consumer grades, preferred environment personalized preferences retrieval , the selection of restaurants and is scheduled dine.
Www.fantong.n

A food for a new center site. Through the interactive features software for the broad masses of netizens provide scientific diet, diet health knowledge, the latest food trends, everyone can become a dietitian; related enterprises also provide a display of new products and the great concept stage.
Www.chihaola.

Additional information:

From www.stamfordadvocate.com:
Corporate Wellness. Our site covers eating plans throughout the life cycle, from wellness to disease specific. Dietary and recipe analysis.
Collection of low carb diet recipes, information about the diets and discussion forum for low carbohydrate.
Thousands of delicious, healthy recipes plus nutrition news and diet guidelines from expertsat.
Several hundred recipes, from appetizers to desserts, plus a message board, a diet guide, and dieting.
Thousands of quick healthy recipes for eating well from EatingWell Magazine, plus nutrition information and a free weight.
Diet Recipes, Low Fat Recipes, Low Carbohydrate Recipes, and Low Calorie.
Basic cabbage soup diet recipe from Sharon, shared on our forum. The popular cabbage soup diet basic instructions.
Learn Mediterranean diet recipes that you can actually cook wherever you live in the world. Explore the Catalan Mediterranean cuisine.

Related "Diet":

• Coca-Cola revives holidays are coming due to popular demand
  Coca-Cola will also be running two on-pack promoti ...
• Gutsy for Grandpa Part One
  You have family members that are well aware of you ...
• Senior calendar
  Low-impact exercises are at intermittent times dur ...
• Governor orders moth spray ingredients released
  E-mails will include a link to a map showing the p ...
• Not all types of fat are harmful
  Obesity is a matter of quantity of fats in the bod ...

Comments

Add Comment