I am bananas for the sophomore collection of the Parisian Good Guys (Don’t wear Leather). These derbies and desert boots have canvas uppers in bright colors like mustard, aqua and pink with red or crepe outsoles. Buy them online for €149 – € 159.
Scott Jurek Gets Personal
The Runner’s World June 2012 Issue features Ultramarathon phenomenon Scott Jurek. The Article, Eat Vegan & Run: How a whole-foods, plant-based diet—free of all meat and animal products—has propelled one runner to ultramarathon greatness, is an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir.
In the article he reveals how he went from being a “Minnesota redneck, a hunter and fisherman” to a passionate, vegan, high-performance, award-winning athlete.
When I finally went vegan in 1999, I lost a layer of fat—the layer that came with eating the cookies and cakes and cheese pizza that so many omnivores and even vegetarians gulp down. I learned that I could eat more, enjoy it more (fruit tasted sweeter, vegetables crunchier and more flavorful), and still get leaner than I had ever been in my life. I started on more whole grains and legumes. Muscles I didn’t even know I had popped out. My blood pressure and triglyceride levels dropped to all-time lows, my HDL, “good” cholesterol, shot up to an all-time high. I had virtually no joint inflammation, even after miles of pounding trails and roads, and on the rare occasion I sprained my ankle or fell and whacked my elbow or knee, the soreness left faster than it ever had before. I was running in the morning, working eight-to 10-hour days, then running 10 miles in the evening—yet I woke up with more energy every day.
The Pugilists, Kowtow & Under Armour Strives for Eco
• What could more soothing than a pair of comfortable, organic, fair trade, drawstring cotton shorts? New Zealand’s ‘Kowtow‘ features basics like tees, tanks and shorts in all organic and fair trade cotton.
• Under Amour is striving to go green, which is good news for athletes. They are incorporating more and more recycled materials. According to the site, “In 2011, we estimate that we will convert over 2,000,000 one liter plastic bottles into performance products.”
• BJJ black belt and vegan David Meyer took the gold in his division at the 2012 American Cup Brazilian Jiujitsu Finals.
He was quoted on Fuel For the Fighter saying, “I began eating only foods close to the source, eliminating meat and fish from my diet in 1985, and now I eat no dairy or eggs. I’m 49 years old and in top physical shape, still competing full force against fighters half my age.”
Take at look at the match:
• In other MMA news, vegetarian Georgi Karakhanyan won his match in only 53 seconds! He now has 18 wins in a 21 fight career, and was quoted on Fuel for the Fighter saying “I am a devoted vegetarian and I give this a lot of credit for my strength. The reason why I became a vegetarian is because I do not like animals being hurt. but I also believe that being a vegetarian is a healthy way to live. As for people who say, “You can’t fight if you’re a vegetarian!” I say, I don’t need to eat meat to kick their ass!”
• Vegetarian wrestler Sushil Kumar is going to London after qualifying for the Olympics. The wrestler from Delhi is a PETA India supporter who said,”Look at me, I defeated non-vegetarians from America and Kazakhstan in the Olympics. So, you can see that vegetarians have a lot of strength”.
Hot Springs & Sandwiches in Tofino, BC
It started out as most days do, deep in the rainforest of Tofino, BC – overcast, dark and rainy. But this was actually perfect for our purposes. Armed with homemade vegan sandwiches (I’ll get into these later) we were off to explore Hot Springs Cove, located about 2 hours from Tofino by boat via a whale watching company.
The seas were rough that day and we bounced around in the tiny ocean vessel both there and back, but that just added to the wild and rustic charm of our adventure. Seeing grey whales breach several times within a few feet of the boat also created a sense of wonder for the natural and pristine environment we were in.
Arriving the dock, it’s a short 30 minute hike through a gorgeous rainforest on a boardwalk to get to the hot springs. They consist of thermally heated water, a gorgeous waterfall, and are topped with a stunning view of the ocean. As the tide rises, the hot pools of water are cooled by the ocean.
As the complete trip is 5-6 hours, and there are no amenities at Hot Springs Cove (think more wilderness and less 7-11′s), it’s advised that you pack a lunch. The night before I baked some pretty epic gluten-free, vegan bread and the morning of I topped some slices of it off with my “special dressing” (homemade mayo, walnuts, garlic salt, balsamic vinegar), organic greens and smoked tofu. It was the perfect hearty meal to enjoy while actually sitting on the rocks with our feet dangling into the warm water of the hot springs – miles from civilization.
The Discerning Brute contributor, Paul Jarvis is the author of Eat Awesome: A regular person’s guide to plant-based, whole foods. He believes veganism is love — and anyone who tells you otherwise can be kicked in the junk. He’s a website designer, minimalist and touring musician.
Is Veganism Good Enough For Everyone to Critique?
By now you have probably seen the Nina Planck NYT article questioning the safety of veganism for kids. And you are probably, rightfully, outraged. The author, who supposedly once followed a vegan diet, is now an outspoken critique who regularly (too often, if you ask me!) is given a platform to express her so-called concern. It’s too extreme! It’s not natural! Your baby might die! As a Registered Dietitian and as a vegan of 16 years I was so frustrated I could barely finish reading it. But now that I’ve had more time to think about this, her irrational statements may not be an entirely bad thing. Before you excommunicate me from the vegan world, here’s what I think:
Veganism is insanely popular right now
The premise of Planck’s article is that veganism is extreme and a fringe idea. I hate to say this, but when I first went vegan in the 90′s this was somewhat true. But today we have talk show hosts, mixed martial arts fighters, professional athletes and a host of scientists, doctors and dietitians (see list below) that are vegan. The number of strict vegans may still a small percentage of the population, but is growing unbelievably fast. And the number of people who sometimes eat vegan meals is skyrocketing. Veganism has reached a mainstream audience: we have to expect backlash.
The response was immediate, thorough and successful
My colleague Ginny Messina, aka The Vegan RD, easily tore apart Planck’s scare tactics and pseudo-science as did the Vegetarian Resource Group. The LA Times even did a response article that quotes Messina extensively. The Sistah Vegan Project and the Intellectualyst also responded, just to name a few. I was so thoroughly impressed by the response from the vegan community that I had to change what I was originally going to write about here.
Relying on psuedo-science and out-dated studies to critique veganism is becoming harder to do
Articles like this used to appear regularly! Today they are quite rare, which is why I am shocked that the NY Times actually ran it. Vegans have decades of experience justifying their eating habits and have become rather skilled at using research to make their arguments. Every time I see Jack Norris’ veganhealth.org site linked it reminds that vegans are a smart bunch who will use real science to fight psuedo-science. With vegan Registered Dietitians like Jack Norris, Ginny Messina, Reed Mangels, Julianna Heaver, Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina covering the science behind veganism we have the tools to show not only the adequacy of vegan diets, but the benefits of eating plant-based.
Remember this: veganism is a radical idea to many and a threat to more than a few social and economical systems. But compassion and science are on our side. So next time someone brings up one of Nina Planck’s ridiculous articles or statements, take a deep breath and politely ask where the scientific studies backing her ideas are. Meanwhile you can read the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition’s Position Paper on Vegetarian Diets that says nothing about having to rely on ‘many synthetic supplements.’
The Discerning Brute contributor, Matt Ruscigno is a Registered Dietitian -the only professional nutrition credential available- and has been an ethical vegan for over 16 years. Matt is the Chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and contributed to the best-selling cookbook Appetite for Reduction with Isa Moskowitz. He’s also obsessed with burritos and dead set on finding the positive in any situation. His personal site is www.truelovehealth.com.
A Fight & A Rose
• Vegan MMA gladiator, Mac Danzig, won his bout against Efran Escudero at UFC 145 in Atlanta. His victory came via unanimous decision. According to the Bleach report:
“Early in the first round, Escudero caught Danzig in a heel-hook and, while Danzig was able to escape, the submission took its toll. Danzig’s ankle was noticeably swollen for the rest of the fight, but he managed to tough it out and win the fight using superior boxing and clinch work.”
Danzig was quoted saying this, on mmajunkie.com:
“This performance wasn’t that great, but I am happy to win,” he said. “Nate Diaz is someone I want to fight. He’s at another level right now, and I know I need to put three very impressive wins together to get back up there. But that’s what I am aiming for now that I am healthy.”
A fight against Nate Diaz would put Mac Danzig in pretty amazing veg showdown, as both fighters are powered by plants. Here’s to hoping!
• Le Labo makes a bag! (well, 300 of them). Every morning, from mid-May to mid-June, thousands of hand-pickers work the fields of Grasse, Bulgaria, Tunisia, and Morocco when dawn breaks. Rose petals are ideally picked when the dew protects their perfume from evaporation, and must be processed through steam distillation within 24 hours, to yield the best quality and quantity of oil. It takes about 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of rose petals to produce one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rose oil, which makes Rose Absolute oil amongst the most expensive perfume ingredient in the world. Rose Centifolia, the rose quality from Grasse used in Le Labo’s Rose 31, is the most precious of them all.
Le Labo has partnered with LA based “Boro Queen” Heather Heron, to create a very special messenger bag. Freely inspired by the original shape of a bag used by pickers in the rose fields of Grasse, each one of the 300 limited edition handmade bags is unique and numbered.
The fabric Heather chose for the “Rose Project” is the original conveyor belt material used in US industry prior to plastic conveyor belts. It is incredibly rare and special in its origin and industrial durability. The straps are all carefully selected from vintage military strapping. Every bag has been made, dyed, assembled and stenciled by hand in downtown LA (and the natural overdye process includes drops of Rose 31 too, by the way).
This bag pays tribute to the work of these pickers who wake up early, work hard and are the first to care for our beloved rose petals before they undergo the long transformative process of olfactive extraction that makes them end up in our bottles.
Bruno Pieters’ Honest Achievement
Special thanks to research by Patrick LaDuke
Organic linen and cotton, organic cotton bias tape, GOTS and Oekotex-certified trimming and lining, and complete transparency in production are just a few elements of this ‘honest’ by Bruno Pieters bomber jacket on the top left. Achieving transparency is no small task for designers. It can be an overwhelming, literally global effort to undertake.
Many mainstream designers would like to hide the materials, working conditions and production methodologies used to produce their garments, but honest is exactly what it sounds like. Each garment features a list of what looks more like achievements than simply material information, manufacturing details, price calculation, and carbon footprint. Items that are vegan are categorized, searchable and labeled as vegan, and the designs are a cool combination of on-trend and effortlessly classic shapes and cuts. Here is a selection of the organic, vegan offerings:
Friends of Riz Discount
• Riz Board Shorts, made from 100% recycled “sueded” and 100% recyclable poly, have released some awesome new styles including this bright print below. What’s even better is that they shared a special 20% discount code for friends. Simply enter code ‘rizalwayssummer‘ at the checkout.
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Cruel by Sue Coe
Artist and activist Sue Coe’s new book “Cruel” will be released this month, along with an event in NYC and a gallery show the following week. According to OR Books, “Cruel conveys the terrible beauty, and intense suffering, of both the animals so sacrificed and the workers involved in their violent destruction. While unexpectedly beautiful in its depiction of the brutal consequences of meat eating, this is a deeply moving, upsetting work, not for the faint of heart. “
Join Sue Coe and OR Books in New York City, April 2012
Moo Shoes | April 19th | 7pm
78 Orchard Street
Tel. (212) 254-6512
info@mooshoes.com
www.mooshoes.com
Sue Coe will be present to sign books. Moo Shoes will donate 10% of sales to one of Sue’s favorite non-profits, United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the compassionate and respectful treatment of chickens, turkeys, ducks and other domestic fowl.
Sun Day Best
Sun, sweat and swimming are only weeks away. Here’s a few weapons to add to your arsenal that can help ward off sunburns, dehydration and embarrassing chaffing you-know-where.
• Jack Black Sun Guard Sunscreen SPF 45 Oil-Free & Very Water Resistant is a vitamin-enriched, oil-free, very water- and sweat-resistant lotion that offers broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection and absorbs quickly without greasy or heavy residue. Also, If you plan on running or walking a lot in the heat, you know what can happen to your man parts. Dry Down® Friction-Free Powder with Pure Cornstarch, Lavender & Organic Green Tea keeps skin silky, smooth and dry for chafe-free workouts, walks, and moshing sessions.
• KOR Delta has sleek, ergonomic, hygenic, fairly-made, BPA-free water bottles.
• Yes, your scalp can get sunburned, and then it can give you some heavy-duty dandruff. Bamboo Thickening Gel-Lotion with SPF 15 give thin hair a boost and also protects exposed scalp areas from sun damage. Keep the glare out and absorb moisture with Une Black by W/SÜN, devilishly handsome and sustainable featuring a bamboo frame, Carl ZEISS lenses offering UV 100% Category 2 protection. Handmade in Paris.
