1. VM's Special Event! & Announcements...

VM's SECOND Retreat

"VegMichigan invites you to a weekend of fun and education! Join us for any part of August 26th, 27th and the 28th (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) for a wonderful time in Columbiaville (10 miles NW of Lapeer) at the Tibbits Nature Sanctuary and Land Stewardship Center. There will be food, classes, hikes, canoeing, games, camping, swimming, bonfire and more." Three mouth-watering vegan meals, starting with lunch on Saturday will be prepared for attendees. DUE TO LIMITED FACILITIES WE MUST CLOSE REGISTRATION AT THE FIRST 50 PRE-PAID PARTICIPANTS. REGISTER NOW BEFORE THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS NOTIFIED! Sign-up Now!

Hi VM newsletter recipient:

AOL is blocking VM’s “News For Life” e-newsletter and any other communication we try to have with you! Please, kindly ask AOL to stop censoring your subscribed e-mail and to accept any e-mail from www.veggiesinmotion.org.  AOL is the only provider that is doing this. We want to keep you informed of all the latest veggie news on the local level as well as healthy eating, sustainability and compassionate living. Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Jim Corcoran, President
VegMichigan

...two new studies just discovered two ways to make your daily (at least!) green leafy salad even healthier. Those eating a salad including half an avocado absorbed about 10 times more carotenoids than those eating the fat-free salad!

... it's the antioxidants that give fruits and vegetables their anticancer, antiviral, and anti-inflammation properties, scientists experimented with adding different fresh herbs to salads and measuring their resultant total antioxidant content. They found that adding just a single sprig of fresh herbs (the weight of 3 paper clips worth of thyme, sage or marjoram--a kissing cousin of oregano) literally doubles the antioxidant power of a bowl of salad. It's almost like eating two salads for the price of one!

http://www.drgreger.org/june2005.html 

3. Is chocolate good for you?

*A report in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition linked high-flavonoid dark chocolate with improved blood pressure.
*One study showed that dark chocolate consumption decreased the "stickiness" of blood, reducing clots and clumps, an aspirin-like effect.
*Another showed that dark chocolate improved blood vessel function, a nitric oxide-like effect that could benefit cardiovascular health.
*Another study found that a diet that included dark chocolate increased good cholesterol and helped prevent bad cholesterol from oxidizing.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/living/11887845.htm 

Note: Milk chocolate does NOT have the same effects!

4. What mistakes do vegans and vegetarians make when it comes to healthy eating habits?

When you make big changes in how you eat--such as moving from an omnivorous diet to a vegetarian one or taking steps toward a vegan lifestyle--it's easy to take the occasional misstep. Sometimes we make mistakes because we don't know any better and sometimes because we've just gotten a little lazy.

Not to worry. Regardless of how careful we try to be, we've all made some slipups with our diets. It happens to the best of us. But it's usually a simple matter to get back on track. Here are some common missteps--and how to fix them.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_330/ai_n13562588 

5. 'Detox Diet' supersizes nutrients, flushes out junk food, sugar, caffeine.

By the end of the 30 days, chronicled in Spurlock's Oscar-nominated documentary "Super Size Me," Spurlock's body was a mess, as Jamieson predicted. Spurlock gained 24 pounds. His cholesterol and blood pressure levels shot up. His liver "turned into p té," one doctor told him. He had symptoms of depression and attention-deficit disorder. And, as Jamieson (now Spurlock's fiancee) reported in her most memorable moment of the film, he experienced sexual dysfunction.

http://www.sltrib.com/healthscience/ci_2800750 

6. Soy and Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Researchers looked at three types of cancer: breast cancer, prostate cancer and gastrointestinal cancer (like colon cancer). Combining all the best published studies, they found highly significant reductions in cancer risk among consumers of soy products. Women of all ages who eat soy enjoy 22% less breast cancer (36% less for postmenopausal women!), male soy consumers are 34% less likely to get prostate cancer, and both men and women who consume soy reduce their risk of developing gastrointestinal cancer by 30%.

The evidence is so strong that there is now another health claim before the FDA--soon we may see labels saying that soy protects against cancer as well.

http://www.drgreger.org/june2005.html 

7. Milk may make for heavier kids, study finds.

Children are urged to drink plenty of milk but a study published on Monday suggests that the more milk that kids drink, the fatter they grow -- and skim milk is a worse culprit than whole milk.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/milk_dc&printer=1 

A study by Environmental Health Perspectives (March, 2003) found that children who ate primarily organic produce and juice had one-sixth the level of pesticide byproducts in their urine compared with children who ate non-organic food. The study compared children who ate produce and juice that was at least 75% organic with kids eating at least 75% non-organic.

9. "Earth Friendly, Farm Friendly" Seal.

Consumers wanting to support sustainable agriculture should AVOID products bearing this seal, which was created by the Center for Global Food Issues (CGFI). This offshoot of the Hudson Institute-a think tank funded by corporate agribusiness, chemical and pesticide manufacturers, the biotechnology industry, and others-opposes organic farming and efforts to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in farm animals, while supporting the crowding of animals onto "factory" farms.

http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/earthwise.cfm?publicationID=997 

10. Michigan's Dirty Rural Secret.

Sierra Club Releases Investigation of 66 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations that Shows ALL will Eventually Pollute Michigan's Rivers, Lakes and Streams... Michigan's CAFOs are being designed, built and operated in ways that will cause water pollution.

http://michigan.sierraclub.org/press/2005-04-18.html 

A coalition of environmental groups is asking a federal judge to review an agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and operators of large-scale livestock farms... a new EPA rule will be too easy on enforcement of environmental regulations.

http://www.glrc.org/story.php3?story_id=2677 

12. Community supported agriculture.

Community supported agriculture (CSA), or subscription farming, is another popular form of direct marketing. Members of a CSA generally pay the farmer for a yearly share of the farm's output before the start of the growing season and then receive regular deliveries of fruits and vegetables as they become available. The number of CSA operations in the United States has grown from one in 1985 to over 1,000 as of early 2001.

Dan B.

Note: Maple Creek Farm is a family operation in the thumb area growing acres of certified organic produce. They have drop off locations throughout Metro Detroit so you can pick up your weekly share and not have to drive up to the farm (although farm pick up is an option).

www.maplecreekfarm.com 

If you could talk to the animals, would they have anything to say? New research suggests they might. One sheep who got a reward every time she recognized a human face correctly on a video screen scored a perfect 50 out of 50. Hamlet the pig is a computer wiz. He gets a reward every time he uses a joystick designed for a chimp to move a cursor into a blue area on a computer monitor. A Jack Russell terrier couldn't achieve such a task after a year of trying.

New research shows that chickens can be taught to run the thermostat of the chicken coop. Cows have been known to form lifelong friendships, and one recent study found that they actually show excitement when they've learned something new. If farm animals are intelligent creatures, should we all be vegetarians? "I stopped eating meat as soon as I began to really think about it," said Jane Goodall. "People actually don't think about it."

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Science/story?id=771414&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 

Matthew Scully doesn't fit the profile of someone who advocates for animal welfare. Until this past summer he was a senior speechwriter for President George W. Bush. Before that he was an editor of the conservative magazine, National Review.

But Scully takes the cause of animal protection seriously -- so much so that he has made it his mission to convince fellow Republicans that the money-saving efficiencies of factory farming pose serious moral issues that his party needs to face.

http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2005/06/20050607_b_main.asp 

... we can see that they are given into our care, that we cannot just do whatever we want with them... Certainly, a sort of industrial use of creatures, so hens live so packed together that they become just caricatures of birds, this degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible.

http://www.sentientbeings.org/notables.htm#card 

Simply Delicious presents a two-day trip to the Annual Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair (http://www.veg.ca/foodfair/index.html) September 9-11, 2005. Trip includes luxury bus to and fro with a two night stay at the Day's Inn Hotel in Toronto. Lectures are free. Cost for the package is $225. To reserve, call BJ Williams before June 30th at 313-831-4026 or 313-505-8278.

Atoms Juice Cafe will be opening in the Guardian Building in Downtown Detroit (500 Griswold at Congress), within the next sixty days. We will be an Eco-friendly Cafe and Raw Juice Bar. Seating will be available in the amazing historic Guardian Building atrium. We will be offering organic health food, desserts, fresh raw juice and smoothies to Downtown Detroit's lunch crowd. We will also offer a Sunday Brunch and limited dinner events.

Atoms is a limited liability company. We are looking for people who would like to become voting members in the company (3 people willing to invest $10,000 each and one $5,000 -- the business is valued at $200,000). If interested, call Kevin at 965-5555 or John at 313-300-7709. Thanks, John & Kevin

Would you like to create a Metro-Detroit support group for Veg Parents? Several VM members have asked if we have a Parenting Group. We don't currently, but it would be great if someone wanted to start one! You could use the VM website, or go to Meetup.com and start a group there. If you are interested, please contact VM at (248) 616-9676.

Ever wish you could have your meals prepared ahead of time? Well, VM and the Chop Shop have teamed up to provide you with this opportunity. The Chop Shop is a Birmingham business that provides ingredients, facilities and recipes to busy people so that they can prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them for later use. VM would like to offer a vegan session at the Chop Shop, but we need recipes. We are looking for fairly basic dishes that will freeze well. Please submit your recipe ideas to VM by July 18th and stay tuned for a date to make meals as a group at the Chop Shop (www.chopshopkitchens.com).

Bored with the same old food choices at work? It’s time to do something fun, educational and delicious at work! Don't wait another day, have us come to your office at lunchtime, get several demonstrations and then eat some great food.

\Learn to prepare some simple, tasty, plant-based recipes that the entire family will enjoy. This one-hour class ends with lunch on sweet & sour "neatballs", "tunofish" pasta salad, and dessert!

Session includes demo, recipe handouts, lunch and cleanup all for only $10/person! Class conducted by Jim and Meriam Corcoran, co-founders of VM. Call us today at 248-616-9676 to schedule a day!

Note: Minimum 10 - 25 people. If your office has more than 25 people interested we can do two or more sessions or come back another day. Cookbooks and other materials will be available for sale.

Broccoli rabe, also called rapini, is more leafy than regular heads of broccoli, and is high in calcium.

Broccoli Rabe with Shiitake Mushrooms

1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, halved
1 large onion, diced
5 cups broccoli rabe, rinsed and chopped
4 cups red cabbage chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté mushrooms until all liquid is cooked off. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.

Add broccoli rabe and cabbage and cook another 10 minutes. Lastly, add the garlic and salt and cook briefly until garlic has released its flavor.

Can be served as a side dish or with brown rice or whole grain pasta for a main course.

Gaia's No Bean Hummus

2 zucchini, peeled
Juice of 2 lemons
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 t. salt and pepper
1 t. freshly ground cumin
handful of fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup tahini

Cut the zucchini in smaller pieces for use in the food processor. Process to make a hummus paste. Add a little water, if necessary - zucchinis vary in size and hydration.

Gaia's Blender Green Smoothie

1-2 fresh mangos, pitted and peeled
2 handfuls spinach, or part spinach and part plantain leaves from the yard
2-3 medjool dates, soaked overnight
1/3 head of romaine or red lettuce
Any purified water or fresh orange juice for blending

Blend in a blender until smooth. Serve in a glass or in a bowl for a summer soup. 

Submitted by: 
Mary Light
Gaia's Raw and Live Foods Catering
PO Box 3599
Ann Arbor, MI. 48106
734-769-7794
http://www.gaiahealingarts.org 

VM'S PUBLIC OUTREACH
For all other regional events go to: http://www.veggiesinmotion.org/calendar

Friday ~ July 1, 2005 through Sunday ~ July 31, 2005
VM display will be at the Troy Public Library, 510 W. Big Beaver Rd.

Thursday ~ July 7, 2005 
7:30 pm ~ VM Raw Food Potluck and Food Preparation Demo. Unity of Livonia, 28660 5 Mile Road, Livonia, MI. between Middlebelt and Inkster Road. Bring your favorite RAW VEGAN dish sized for 8 servings or a $7.50 donation. Call Flo or Jerry at (313) 541-0162.

Friday ~ July 8, 2005 
7:00 pm ~ Mugs & Jugs- Shoot pool or just shoot the breeze. Plush Pockets, 28202 Dequindre Road, Warren, MI. Located on the east side of Dequindre between 11 Mile and 12 Mile Roads, just south of Krogers. Call Peter at (248) 515-3367.

Saturday ~ July 9, 2005 
12:00 noon - 5:00 pm ~ VM Potluck, Pool and Beading Party. Join the fun! Help VM make bracelets for tabling events, then cool off in the pool and enjoy yummy vegan food.  Please bring a vegan dish to pass and if you want to use the pool, bring your swim suit and towel. RSVP with Flo or Jerry at (313) 541-0162. Their address is 14128 Berwyn Redford. The street is south of Fenkell (5 Mile), north of I-96 and West of Beech-Daly. Use Lyndon to access from Beech-Daly, or just catch Berwyn off of the I-96 service drive.
Note: Volunteers, if you have any remaining Meatout supplies, please bring them so we can inventory and store them.

7:00 pm ~ VM Dinner at the Udipi Vegetarian Indian Restaurant, 29210 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills (located in a strip mall on the east side of Orchard Lake Road, south of 13 Mile Road). Let's give a big thank you to this restaurant for participating in our Great American Meatout this year. This restaurant is all vegetarian, and many items are vegan. You may order whatever you like from their menu. They specialize in South Indian cuisine, and have wonderful dosas (thin pancake-like delicacies filled with potatoes, onions, spices, etc.). To attend, you MUST give an RSVP by July 7th. Contact Karen at (248) 544-4030.

8:30 pm ~ VM Dancing After Dinner Club (dinner before is optional)! We will once again go dancing after dinner! We will meet at the Fifth Avenue Ballroom, which is 10 minutes away in Novi. They will have live entertainment and a $4 cover charge. They are located between Grand River Avenue and 10 Mile Road at 25750 Novi Road, about a 1/2 mile south of I-96 and Novi Road intersection on the east side of Novi Road just before the railroad tracks. Call Karen at (248) 544-4030.

Tuesday ~ July 12, 2005 
7:00 pm ~ VM Board Meeting in Jim & Meriam's home, Madison Heights, MI. Call for direction if you plan to attend. Jim or Meriam at (248) 616-9676.

Saturday ~ July 16, 2005
12:00 noon ~ VM Vegan Potluck Picnic- at Starr Jaycee Park, W 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI. on the Southside of 13 Mile just East of Crooks Road. Bring a vegan dish to feed at least 6 to 8 people. For more info call Jim R. at (248) 577-0864.

Sunday ~ July 31, 2005 
1:00 pm ~ VM Vegan Potluck Held at the Unity of Livonia, 28660 5 Mile Road, Livonia, MI. between Middlebelt and Inkster Road. Bring your favorite VEGAN dish sized for 8 servings or a $7.50 donation. Call Flo or Jerry at (313) 541-0162.