Newsletter January
Our Health Tip:
A tip from Mrs. E.W from Switzerland:
Horseradish wine is used in her family to treat arterioscleroses, coughing and colds, extreme fatigue, dizziness, frequently feeling cold and poor circulation.
This is how it is done: Finely grate fresh horseradish. Place heaping tablespoons of it in a liter of white wine. It is best to use a bottle with a screw top and a large mouth.. Let stand for 3 weeks in a spot that is evenly warm, shake several times during this period. Strain and store in a tightly closed bottle.
In cases of acute symptoms, drink 1 liqueur glass twice a day, for example at 10 AM and 6 PM. For a longer cure or for prevention, 1 small glass per day.
If the drink is too strong, thin with white wine, not water. A cure should not last more than 6 weeks, then a pause of 2-4 weeks should be taken.
Vegetarian Diet for Babies and Small Children, or when Pregnant or Nursing
We are often asked whether babies and small children should be fed a vegetarian or even vegan diet and whether such a diet is recommended during pregnancy or while nursing.
We will first quote from a position paper published by the “American Dietetic Association” and the “Dietitians of Canada.” These professional associations have published an extensive dossier on the most current scientific viewpoint on questions concerning a vegetarian diet. There it says:
“ A well-planned vegan, lacto- vegetarian or ovo-lacto-vegetarian kind of diet is appropriate during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy and nursing. These diets also cover the nutrition requirements of children and youths and promote normal growth …
When children receive vegetarian nourishment as an adequate amount of mother’s milk or as commercially available baby milk formula and their diet contains good sources of energy and nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, this results in normal growth of toddlers… The mother’s milk of vegetarians is comparable in content to that of non-vegetarians and adequate from a dietary point of view…
Commercially available milk formula should be used when children do not receive mother’s milk or are weaned before they are one year old. Substitute milk based on soy is the sole option for vegan children who are not nursed. Soymilk, rice milk, homemade substitute milk, cow’s milk and goat’s milk should not be used as a substitute for mother’s milk or commercial baby formula during the first year of life, because these foods contain neither the recommended relationship of macronutrients nor the recommended amounts of micronutrients for toddlers…
For the addition of solid foods, the same guidelines hold true for babies on a vegetarian diet as for those on a non-vegetarian diet. When it is time to add foods rich in protein, small children on a vegetarian diet can be given mashed or pureed tofu, legumes, pureed when necessary; soy or milk yogurt, cooked egg yolk and cottage cheese.”
Our commentary:
It has meanwhile been scientifically proven that a vegetarian diet, as well as a vegan diet, is fully healthy and sufficient, if one pays attention to (follows) certain rules when planning its makeup.
The need to regard these rules tends to lead meat and fish eaters to argue as follows: This must indicate that a vegetarian diet cannot be so good if rules have to be paid attention to. This argumentation is plain nonsense. As we have stressed in previous newsletters, fast food, for instance, as a prototype for diets containing meat and fish is without rules and is by far the unhealthiest form of diet known. Please don’t let yourself be put off by these arguments. Every person should acquire for himself sufficient knowledge about a healthy nutrition, no matter what it is called.
In large circles of the population as well as with doctors and dietary advisors here and abroad, it is felt that especially babies and children need meat and fish in their diet. This is not the case. The position paper quoted above strongly confirms this..
However, the greatest danger for a vegetarian diet doesn’t come from its opponents, but, according to our experience, from vegetarians and vegans themselves: due to their present fanatical attitude toward diet and because they do not pay attention to the required recommendations. Their argumentation “The diet must contain everything (necessary), and so I don’t need B12, don’t have it checked and don’t take it as a supplement, because its not natural …” is totally unreasonable. They then feel the effects of this inadequate diet and provide the best arguments to opponents of a vegetarian diet. The same holds true for diets for babies and children.
If you want to follow a healthy vegetarian diet, please follow these simple rules as they are well presented in this position paper on vegetarianism and you will do great service to yourself, the whole vegetarian movement, as well as all of nature and the animals.
By the way, did you know …
… that the same parts of the brain are activated in overweight people as in those who are addicted to alcohol, nicotine and drugs? Therefore, similarly as with these addictions, it is necessary that ever larger amounts of food are required to activate the corresponding “reward areas” of the brain.
