This month the Journal of Vegetarians complete 4 years and, considering publishing a vehicle of utmost importance for the spread of vegetarianism in Brazil *, I've been reflecting on the evolution of the acceptance of the theme by the public, media and academia. To summarize the elements that came to mind during this reflection, I will limit myself to two recent episodes, colocando-os em perspectiva com dois episódios antigos.

Was 1995 I was banned by a teacher of nutrition course to replace the theme of my group in a classroom technique dietary (something like a class focused on techniques of food preparation) to one that utilizes only plant foods and not so conventional, como o tahine, the alfalfa sprouts and sprouted grains. Her response was that I did that when I founded my sect. I am a good student, was what I did and today I serve these and other "forbidden" foods in units VEGETHUS Vegan Restaurant daily for more than 200 pessoas.

Much has happened in the meantime on the acceptance of the theme of vegetarian nutrition in academia and I must say that there is much to be followed until the vegetarian nutrition is addressed satisfactorily in the curricula of colleges of nursing. However, there are already good signs of change. Among the many opportunities that have emerged in recent years to speak to dietitians and nutrition students at their universities, bring the recent example of August of that year, when I was invited to speak at an event sponsored by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, where 250 students were gathered to discuss the theme. I asked one of the teachers responsible for the event the reason for choosing the theme and she answered: "I'm protovegetariana". The correct use of the term, I confirmed that it is also a reader of the Journal of Vegetarians, já que o novo termo havia sido discutido em uma edição recente.

Have to illustrate the evolution of the acceptance of media and public, I remembered I was in 1996 that attended my first live debate on TV about it. Since, have been dozens of these and it is remarkable the change that took place in the focus of these discussions. Contrasting this first debate with the latest, that occurred in October 2010, promoted by a radio program, I can see that not only the topics for discussion have changed, but was changed the whole dynamic of the discussion. In the first (and in all that time), the imperative was to question where the vegetarian draws its proteins and other issues with the assumption of a possible nutritional deficiency among fans. On the other side of the debate, experts from diverse backgrounds brought these issues with the property and to refute them was necessary to start with the Beaba of vegetarian nutrition, stripped from the most remote of the myths, o que deixava pouco espaço para o aprofundamento do debate.

With many variations in the mean time, what was seen in the example of the episode this month (and all more recent) was a question about the gastronomic possibilities vegetarian, why they enjoy better health and what are the ethical and environmental motivations for choosing. Nothing about protein, iron or calcium. Nothing specialists. Moreover, has been rare to find an expert willing to discuss the issue. When we find one that is available, it usually makes the line of the middle way, not opposed to the ideas of vegetarianism, stating that it is suitable for those who choose to practice and criteria, but arguing that it may not be for everyone. Naturally, know that vegetarianism is yes to all (is not only suitable, but also the minimum to be practiced by any individual who applies ethical). O que quero notar aqui é que a oposição mais radical agora se limita a adotar um discurso que não passa do moderado.

For this episode, the best opponent they achieved was an ex-protovegetariana reported that the reasons did not succeed in his attempt to stop the consumption of animal flesh, admitting repeatedly be too attached to your taste. Not just this episode, but very commonly in recent times, defense by the consumption of meat and other animal products has been based, much more than for his alleged need, the pleasure of consumption or the difficulty by abandoning him. I consider this to be a perfect sign that the debate is not over the adequacy of vegetarian diet, but the individual's ability to practice it. Even when we go beyond the issue dietary, entering the field of ethics, discussants have merely stated that they admire the stance vegetarian, mas não possuem a mesma determinação para traduzir suas convicções em ações práticas.

What I want to illustrate with the example of how they have been presented discussions on vegetarian nutrition is that there is a clear paradigm shift in the way the public and experts perceive and accept vegetarianism, which now leave the list of eccentric practices to configure the list of mere options, going to be seen as a legitimate expression of diversity. Although not exempt from questioning, this implies that legitimacy is accepted and respected. At this moment this acceptance of vegetarianism is already evident in the media and academia, there is no need to speak of "acceptance" or "inclusion" of the individual vegetarian. What may be a difficulty in accepting a small social circle or family, but with the advantage that it is accepted and mirrored by society as a whole, tem sido cada vez mais fácil romper as barreiras que ainda possam existir nos pequenos círculos.

In addition, from the moment in which ethics becomes a constant in the option argument for vegetarianism, there have to expend energy to vegetarians claiming any privilege or need to include, it becomes even more obvious position that the purpose of our actions is not facing ourselves, but for the Animas , o que torna irrelevante qualquer angústia ou queixa resultante da dificuldade de colocar em prática o vegetarianismo.

They are, animals, being oppressed, exploited and excluded by the millions every day. Diverting speech to claim any right to vegetarians or need is to take the focus of animal rights (who are the end) to put it in the rights of vegetarians (which are mere means). Unlike other social movements, not us who have benefited with the results of our actions, but other. In this case, Another from another species. Are nothing more than their spokespersons and, the good of the animal rights movement, jamais devemos pretender ser mais do que isso.

Being vegan is the minimum that an individual can do and complain that this creates a lack of acceptance (especially in a time when the acceptance is vastly greater than it was 30, 20 or 10 years) is to declare total lack of ability to put into perspective the size of oppression against which we struggle, opressão essa dirigida aos animais em uma proporção infinitamente maior do que o desconforto que possa estar sendo experenciado por qualquer vegetariano que desfrute da sua opção nos dias de hoje.

The struggle for acceptance of our option may have been important in the past, but she was never thought of as an ultimate goal, may have been, no max, a means to allow the entry of new members. Having won this benefit the acceptance (yes, agree, it has been achieved) with hard work and that of many generations over the centuries, Now continue on. Now that more people can now be housed in this place we learned to build, and without ever thinking that this is where relent, continue to work to raise awareness regarding animal cause, because even in these times of change, ainda são muitas as mudanças pelas quais eles há tempos esperam.

* According to the new definition that conceptualizes how protovegetarianos individuals who maintain the consumption of animal products (eggs and dairy), the terms 'vegetarian' and 'vegetarian' are used here to classify an individual that feeds exclusively on plant foods. O vegano é o vegetariano que vai além da opção alimentar e exclui os produtos de origem animal de outros aspectos do seu modo de vida.

On 11 April, 19h, of EDA (Study Group on Animal Rights - São Paulo), in partnership with the NGO VEDDAS (Ethical Vegetarianism, Defense of Animals and Society), receives the prestigious philosopher Sonia T. Felipe.

Sonia studied for over 10 years the model based on the power consumption of bovine milk and derivatives and their consequent ethical implications, environmental, and to human health. Their study resulted in an unpublished research in Brazil entitled "Galactolatria: Mau Deleite ". Sonia, first published in a Brazilian scientific, shows forcefully the damage caused by the consumption of milk to human health, discusses the environmental impact of livestock, bem como o problema ético que devemos enfrentar pelo uso de vida senciente para benefício humano.

Fundamental book for the new generation begins to question the current models imposed by the status quo, the lack of information in the mainstream media and the lobby of the animal industries. A growing number of people who adhere to vegetarianism and veganism in Brazil. The population, medical, environmentalists, stakeholders and researchers now have, by publishing, an information tool, ethical reflection, e ativismo com dados do próprio mercado e indústria.

"We find it important to bring to the group a person with a study on the use of bovine milk that reference was a pioneer in Brazil", Bia says Dantas organizing this edition of GEDA Calls. "It is with great satisfaction that the GEDA receives, by GEDA Calls, philosopher and writer Sonia T. Felipe, author of 'Bad Galactolatria Delight', a must read for all society, mainly non-vegan, medical, nutritionists and environmentalists ", Eliana diz Angel, atual coordenadora do GEDA.

Service

GEDA Invites Sonia T. Felipe - Galactolatria: Mau Deleite
Lecture, sale of books and book signing

Evento no Facebook (confirm the presence)

Data: Thursday, 11/04
Schedule: 19 hours
Value: Free
Registrations: gedaconvida@gmail.com
Local: Old restaurant VEGETHUS
Address: Rua Haddock Lobo, 187 - Near Subway Consolation | MAP

On the night of the event books will be sold at U.S. $ 45 com parte da renda revertida ao ANDA e ao VEDDAS.

Next Thursday, 22 November, 17h, Auditorium of the School of Public Health School (University of São Paulo) will host the lecture given by George Guimarães, nutritionist specializing in vegetarian diets, with the theme “Contribution of vegetarian diets to health”.
According to Guimarães, o objetivo da palestra é esclarecer a população sobre os benefícios da dieta vegetariana para a prevenção das doenças crônicas e degenerativas que são responsáveis por grande parte dos males que afeta a população.
"With a Vegetarian Diet, the government keeps spending on public health system, while reducing employee absenteeism and improve the health of the population as a whole ", afirma Guimarães.
A palestra é gratuita e aberta para todos os interessados.

Day: 22 November
Schedule: 17h
Local: By. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, Cerqueira César, Sao Paulo (Metro Clinics)
School of Public Health, University of São Paulo

On the same day and following the lecture at USP, George Guimarães, it is also ahead of the activities of the NGO VEDDAS (Ethical Vegetarianism, Defense of Animals and Society) attend the "Seminar on Public Policy: Rights and Defense of Animals "in the auditorium Paulo Kobayashi of the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo. Besides Guimarães, the seminar organized on the initiative of Congressman Ricardo Izar Jr. and receives support from the State Deputy Fernando Capez will also include the participation of three other speakers: Francisco Cavalcanti (President of CRMV-SP), Rosangela Ribeiro (Veterinary Medical WSPA) e Silvana Andrade (President of the ANDA).
Over 16 years experience in the struggle for animal rights, Guimarães will point during the seminar to highlight the importance of vision in the abolitionist struggle for animal rights, stating that "we must not only work for public policies that directly benefit the animals, but also for the education of each individual to awaken the consciousness towards animals and from that can make everyday choices that have the power to define the holding or freedom ". O seminário é gratuito e aberto a quem interessar.
Speech Silvana Silvana Andrade (ANDA).
Learn more by visiting the site of Nutriveg and www.veddas.org.br.

www.nutriveg.com.br

Although the focus of scientific research on vegetarian diets have changed nutritional deficiencies for disease prevention for over 20 years, o tema mais freqüente de debate com o público e até mesmo os profissionais de saúde ainda é a adequação nutricional da dieta vegetariana.

We have answers to almost all nutritional issues that have been raised. But most of the "challenges" that intellectuals are proposed in day-to-day life of a vegetarian is just a mistake ledo. The best answer would probably simply say: “Your statement is correct, and hence?”. This is because, In most cases, these questions bring true statements about food, but are followed by a conclusion misguided and irrelevant. In cases presented below, essa relevância inexiste.

A carne contém mais ferro do que os vegetais.

It is a fact. And hence? We do not need better source, that we need only be sufficient. It is true that, mostly, vegetables contain less iron than beef, yet they supply our need for mineral. If defendsores an omnivorous diet would lead to scratch that thought that only the best offers, They advocate the use of animal liver exclusively, haja vista que este contém mais ferro do que as outras carnes.

But heme iron (found in meat) is better absorbed than non-heme iron (which comprises the total iron found in plants).

Yes, it is better absorbed. A person with anemia will recover faster with iron derived from meat than with iron derived from vegetables, but that does not mean the veggie not recover. What changes is the speed of recovery, in the case of iron found in plants (non-heme) may be other factors associated increased intake of foods rich in iron, as the intake of foods rich in vitamin C, eg. Regarding the maintenance of iron status, the non-heme iron is sufficient for this purpose, simply choose good sources of the mineral (legumes, oil, vegetais distribution escuros, dried fruits, luscious-de-cane) and exclude from the diet foods that hinder its absorption, such as dairy, que além de atrapalharem ainda se apresentam como péssimas fontes do nutriente em questão.

Os vegetais não contêm todos os aminoácidos essenciais.

It is rare to find a vegetable that contains all essential amino acids, but this has no importance for the nutrition of vegetarian. Although a single plant does not contain all the essential amino acids, combining a variety of plants requires the provision of all of them. If we follow this reasoning, come to the conclusion that the best meat is to be consumed human flesh, since this is the closest to our needs, it has everything the human body needs. Again, do not need the best, but only as necessary. Despite not having the most complete amino acid profile compared to meat, vegetables provide, so distributed and balanced, todos os aminoácidos que o organismo humano necessita.

O corpo humano não é capaz de digerir a celulose ou as fibras dos vegetais.

What bom! Keeping intact, they can fulfill their role, that is to provide bulk to the stool and sweeping out the intestine cholesterol, others. However, some do not remain intact, they are fermented by bacteria in the intestines. This causes the formation of substances very important to prevent diseases. If they were digested as in some herbivores that have the ability to digest cellulose, lose these possibilities. The human body was designed to consume lots of fiber, that only vegetables can provide us. It also was not designed to digest them, o que tem efeito benéfico.

Os vegetais não fornecem o colágeno.

It is true, do not have. But that has no relevance to human health. As herbivorous animals, os animais humanos fabricam o seu próprio colágeno a partir das proteínas vegetais que consomem.

O leite de vaca é a melhor fonte de cálcio disponível para a alimentação humana.

Despite not having been created for human consumption, is the fact that the mammary secretion of mammals is an excellent source of calcium. And hence? Good plant sources also exist and even surpass dairy products in terms of bioavailability (ability to be absorbed). Vegetables rich in calcium are the same vegetables rich in iron, citados acima.

O colesterol é o precursor da testosterona e por isso o consumo do colesterol é essencial para que a testosterona seja produzida.

Fact, followed by deception. Although the testosterone precursor, o colesterol é produzido pelo nosso fígado e por isso não precisa ser ingerido.

A vitamina B12 não está presente na dieta vegana e isso é prova de que a dieta vegana não é natural à espécie humana.

It is true to say that the vegan diet is deficient in vitamin B12, but this is far from testifying against the naturalness of veganism to the human species. Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, that have been more present in the contamination of our food, what has changed in recent times with changes in our hygiene habits. Therefore, is not the vegan diet is not natural to the human species, but the human species that is most natural to their environment. The solution for this problem caused by modern habits is also a solution modern: a suplementação.

The fact is that vegetarian or vegan diets are possible and appropriate. Every attempt to prove that they are not the misinformation begins, passa por uma postura defensiva e termina na manipulação das informações.

While we still have to live with the disinformation by the contesting vegetarian diet, it is important to keep us safe and able to challenge and inform those who are willing to this. When it comes to standing up for what is right, a informação é a principal arma.

Article published in Revista dos Vegetarians.

www.nutriveg.com.br

Being a vegetarian in a world not vegetarian may not be the easiest of tasks, mas também não significa que seja impossível.

We know that the quality of our food directly affects our health and we must give due importance to the care with feeding under unfavorable. Some of these situations are everyday and so end up being accepted as part of daily routine. Others happen only when we left the usual routine, in the case of travel, eg. With proper planning and some simple solutions, é possível contornar estas situações sem colocar em risco o equilíbrio nutricional e a saúde.

For more that they can not predict all the variables under unfavorable, there are some solutions that give us the possibility to adjust to circumstances. The first step is to have some food handy key. These foods are those that are both highly nutritious and easy to transport. The dried fruit, the brown, Complete the biscuits and the tahini (sesame paste) são alguns exemplos.

In a travel status, search on the fate, evaluating local tastes, the presence of food stores and market access, even those who are not specialized, is always very important. The worst case scenario is one where you can not even have access to a market that offers simple food bread or fruit. Numa hipótese May otimista, there is still the possibility of finding some foods most peculiar, as the integrals, pasta, juices, crackers, etc.. Whatever the case, é importante saber o que encontrará em sua jornada.

If the kitchen where you will stay at your destination can receive a special request, prepared with the same ingredients you will, is a good idea to take with rice, soy protein, and a quick cooking noodles (as rice noodles, eg). All very easy to be transported and prepared, and may help save some meals. Complete with nuts and tahini or dish-made fish accompanying beans with bacon, or the hotel's rich buffet composed exclusively of exotic meats and seafood-fish, not be an impediment to your meal. In most Brazilian cities and in many cities around the world, find fresh fruit is no problem. Some dried fruits accompanied by nuts can help complete a meal that has been unsatisfactory, onde tudo o que estava disponível era inadequado à sua opção alimentar.

Even in the streets of your town, the situation may not always be the most hospitable. Really, some people end up struggling unnecessarily, since these are programmed situations, in other words, difficulties which are expected to find. The same food (dried fruits, chestnuts, fruits) into action, but can also be added to other more perishable or reasonably easy access. In large cities, eg, fresh fruit juices can be found in almost all bakeries or similar establishments. If a papaya juice, avocado and banana by itself is not enough to complete the one meal that is far from ideal, it can be improved. With a little conversation and after some possible weirdness, most of these establishments will accept add soymilk ("Milk" soy powder) you even carry in your backpack or purse in order to enrich this preparation, que além de rápida é também muito acessível.

Perhaps the challenge is in the company cafeteria where you work and that is far from any other power source. In this case, worth always insist and insist again for some vegetarian preparations are included on the menu, always emphasizing that they will also be of interest to others who are not necessarily vegetarians. Even if you get it, or especially if your request fails to be met, you may have saved the company a jar of tahini and other rich foods already mentioned, and can carry some preparations which are easy to be performed at home, such as a sandwich bread stuffed with tofu, tahini and vegetables. Though simple, essa preparação é muito nutritiva.

Many vegetarians find it difficult even at home. When the challenge is the lack of ideas or skill, good research or participation in a course vegetarian cooking are important initiatives. When the challenge is in the time available to devote to the kitchen, we again call on our foods. The list expands home, since the possibility of storage is different than when you're on the street or on the road. The example of the sandwich prepared at home and brought to the work already shows the inclusion of a novel food rich, what is tofu. Besides very nutritious, it is also very fast to be prepared. Having proper planning with the routine for the purchase (the period of validity is short), tofu can be handy to be turned into steaks, cubes, pasta, pates, sauces, fillings and many other possibilities. Besides tofu sandwich with tahini, another solution for quick and nutritious preparation to be done at home is an integral mass with tomato sauce enriched with tahini and plus diced tofu and nuts. The preparation time is about 10 minutes, bastando cozinhar a massa integral enquanto todo o restante é misturado ao molho.

Some foods are very practical and useful to save one or more meals, but it is the food variety and daily planning we ensure nutritional balance in the vegetarian diet. This discussion focused on some key foods. However, even in adverse situations, não devemos perder de vista que as refeições devem ser complementadas usando de toda a magnífica variedade proporcionada pelos alimentos vegetais.

Article published in Revista dos Vegetarians.