Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Damn, I worked hard for that 6:26 mile... and Vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Take a look at the side-by-side comparison of two of my recent runs below.

See the stats from the run on the left?  Those are my splits for a local Turkey Day 10K that I ran at the end of November.  At that point, I was only 10 days removed from my valiant, but crash 'n burn effort at the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon.

And those stats from the run on the right?  Those are my splits from a 3.1 mile run that I completed during my lunch hour several days ago.

Left                                                     Right

Why is this significant, and why should we care?  It illustrates perfectly why I hate having to take time off from training to heal aches, pains, and injuries.  The Turkey Trot was my last run of 2013, and I managed to average a steady 6:24 pace over the rolling 10K course, with an impressive 6:09 for my fastest split (impressive by my standards anyways).

I would have loved to train through the Christmas season to keep up the momentum and continue to improve.  However, just as has happened during the past four years, my fall marathon had left me shot, with a varying array of nagging injuries.  Unfortunately, the only remedy is several months off.  Several years ago, it was my left Achilles.  Last year, it was my left knee.  This year, it's my heels...  the left more so, but they’ve both been bothering me.

As in past years, I entered December unable to run any longer...  moaning, groaning, and wallowing in self-pity, thinking that the current injury will never heal, and I'll never be able to run ever again.  And as in past years, after sulking through a few months of drudgerous, indoor cross-training, the injury in question begins to feel better, and I'm able to lace up the running shoes and hit the road.

After taking all of December and January off, I was able to begin running at the beginning of this month.

I can't play Words With Friends after more
than about 15 minutes on the bike because
my hands get too sweaty, and the screen
gets all nasty.  And I'm not sure what a
FELTINGS is, but it's the highest scoring
word that I've ever played.
The first few weeks are always painful and slow, as I regain my wind and running legs.  I've been pedaling furiously on the indoor recumbent bike at least four days a week, trying to bear the boredom by watching Indiana Jones movies on the laptop and playing Words With Friends on the iPhone.  But no matter how long I ride or how high I crank up the pedal resistance, it doesn't translate out onto the roads.

Wise man once say, "To maintain running fitness and sharp running legs, one must run...  always."

Indeed.

Circling back to my lunchtime 5K distance that I covered a few days ago, I decided to use the first mile as a warm-up, and then see how fast I could run my second mile.  I kept checking my Garmin as I neared the end of the first mile, counting down the hundredths of a mile...  0.85...  0.89...  0.93...  almost time to turn on the jets for the first time in over two months...  0.97...  0.98...  0.99...

Here we go!

When my Garmin hit 1.00, I imagined that the gun went off as I picked up the pace and shot forward.

Just like the start of a race, I thought to myself.

I continued to surge forward, increasing my leg turnover while trying to relax into the aggressive, up-tempo pace that one shoots for when settling into that first mile of a race.  I felt surprisingly great...  for about 300 meters.  Then the two month layoff kicked in, reality reared its ugly head, and I came crashing down to earth.  The sweet life that I felt in my legs for the first quarter mile tragically drained down my quads and calves, through my shoes, and onto the pavement, where they pooled into a pathetic puddle of exhaustion.

As the lead crept into my screaming quads, I made my best attempt to maintain an aggressive leg turnover.  But I rounded a corner out of a subdivision and onto the main road, just in time to plow directly into a headwind.  My flailing legs continued to move at a constant rate, but the vicious headwind crushed my momentum even further.  I felt as if I was struggling to stay on a treadmill at high speed.

Up ahead, I saw a monstrous 18-wheeler approaching...  closer...  closer...  closer...  As it whipped by me at 60 mph, I braced myself for the blast of air, which sent me two steps closer to the ditch when it hit.  After a few seconds, I regained control on the shoulder and turned right, leaving the main highway and the headwind for a side road that was sheltered by tall evergreens on each side.  By this point, my legs felt like jelly, and I was afraid to look at my Garmin, knowing that I'd probably struggle to break 7:20 for this lost cause of a mile.

Finally, I glanced down just to catch a quick glimpse of how much longer until the miserable mile might continue...  1.93...  1.94...  I began to sprint furiously, as my form continued to disintegrate into a mess of flailing mush...  1.97...  1.98...  1.99...  2.00.

I looked down at my watch, waiting for the damage.

Much to my astonishment, an unexpected 6:26 flashed across the face of the watch, accompanied by the familiar beep to signify another split.  Damn...  I worked hard for that 6:26.  I toned down the pace to a leisurely 8:47 for the final mile, gasping for breath with each step.  Finally, I slowed to a walk as I turned left into my office parking lot and strolled the final 200 yards to the employee entrance.

I initially had mixed feelings as I evaluated my strenuous effort.  Having completed a 10K just over two months ago at an overall pace of 6:24 minutes per mile, it was a bit frustrating to struggle so much to eek out a solitary 6:26 mile and have nothing left.  However, after additional reflection, I settled on the glass being half full and decided that I was extremely pleased with my workout.  If I continue to build my base back up by gradually adding mileage and throwing in frequent fartleks and fast miles here and there, I'm confident that I'll be in good shape when racing season rolls around in late April.

To celebrate my pre-season success, I'm sharing last night's delicious plant-based meal.

Plant-Based Mexican Stuffed Peppers

We need to get some white plates for better food pictures.

These peppers are absolutely delicious, and they’re so easy to make.  Even without the ground beef that’s present in may traditional stuffed pepper recipes, the seasonings and ingredients meld together perfectly to create a filling that’s hearty, savory, with a very meaty texture. 

As we were enjoying these last night, a friend texted and requested some more meatless recipes.  She and her husband had flirted with going vegetarian in the past, but the changes had always been short-lived.  However, she let me know that meat is really starting to gross both of them out, and she wanted to move towards a permanent change.

I immediately sent her a variation of the recipe below, along with a brief description of the modifications that we made to veganize the dish.  A few days later, she texted me her enthusiastic response, along with a picture.  The peppers were a hit.

If you try them, I think you’ll agree.  Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
  • 6 medium-sized bell peppers (red or green or yellow or orange or all of the above)
  • 2½ cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (540 ml) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1½ cups frozen corn
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Peppers - Cut the top off each pepper and remove any seeds or ribs left inside.  Arrange cut side up in a baking dish, and set aside.
  3. Filling -  In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5-7 minutes or until soft.  Stir in the rice, beans, corn, tomato puree, chili powder and cumin, and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until everything is heated through.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.  Season to taste with hot sauce, salt and pepper.  Load up the mixture into the peppers, making sure not to pack too tightly.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until peppers are tender.
  6. Eat...

These are also fantastic as leftovers.  Earlier today at work, I popped the remaining two in the microwave for about 2 minutes just to warm them through, and then I crisped them up in the toaster oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Even better the next day...

Sunday, February 16, 2014

How to Change a Garbage Disposal... and Tofu Skillet Scramble

Today, we're going to become familiar with a project that every homeowner should know how to tackle...  changing out a garbage disposal.  Whether you're just a novice with tools or an experienced handyman, installing a garbage disposal is a task that can be simple, yet extremely rewarding.

In my case, I realized something was wrong earlier in the week when I went to empty the garbage from under the sink one evening and discovered a not-so-attractive puddle of dirty drain water riddled with oatmeal and flax seed taint.

     "Hmmmmmm," I said to myself.  "That's not right."

As one who's never afraid to self-diagnose a plumbing issue, I left the cabinet open, turned on the water, and immediately observed several tell-tale drips trickling out from the bottom of the disposal.

     "Hmmmmm," I said to myself.  "Things just keep getting worse."

Finally, I turned on the garbage disposal while the water was still running and noted that the trickling from the bottom of the disposal turned into a rapid waterfall.  After a few seconds, I heard the GFI circuit next to the sink trip, and the disposal stopped.

     "Time for a trip to Home Depot," I murmured, as I placed a Pyrex container under the sink to catch any leakage for the time being.

After cleaning up the puddles under the sink, I headed out to pick up a new unit.  While browsing the selection at Home Depot, I was relieved to learn that most garbage disposal models don't change too much from year to year.  Within minutes, I was able to find the newest version of my current model, and I made my purchase.

We decided to make due with the leaky drainage arrangement until I had a full day at home to attack the project, just in case I hit any snags.  After finishing up with our Saturday morning oatmeal and coffee, we decided that today was the big day.  With wrench and screw-drivers close by in my pajama bottom pockets, I turned off the circuit to the sink, donned my runner's headlamp, and plowed head-first into the project.

The entire process was extremely simple, taking me less than three minutes from start to finish.  For your convenience, I've outlined the steps below:

How To Change A Garbage Disposal

Step 1 - Locate the old garbage disposal.
If you live in a traditional home, you'll most likely find
the garbage disposal in the kitchen.

There it is...  under the sink.

If you live in a Ryan Home, you'll most likely find the
garbage disposal installed in the bathtub.

Step 2 - Remove the old garbage disposal.

Note that the old garbage disposal has been removed.

Step 3 - Install the new garbage disposal.

Install the new garbage disposal as shown, above.

That's all there is to it.
To celebrate the completion of this monumental household project, we enjoyed one of our favorite quick and easy plant-based meals...  a savory Tofu Scramble.

Tofu Skillet Scramble

Next time, I should have chosen a not tofu scramble-colored plate.

While there are many different versions of this staple vegan dish, our favorite is Robin Robertson's take, which is available in her book Quick-Fix Vegan:  Healthy Homestyle Meals in 30 Minutes or Less, and also online HERE at Google's books website.

This hearty treat combines firm tofu, baked potato, scallions, red bell peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes along with nutritional yeast and a handful of spices.  The ground fennel seed, in particular, lends a sausage-esque flavor to the dish...  without the sausage, of course.

We enjoyed our scramble with a huge helping of balsamic-roasted broccoli.

As for you protein/calcium worry-warts, let's fire up the Cronometer, shall we?


Carbohydrates and Lipids

Protein

Vitamins and Minerals

Again, my plant-based meal of tofu skillet scramble and oven-roasted balsamic broccoli has provided over 50% of my daily protein needs, and over 20% of my daily calcium needs.

As we can see, there's no need to eat meat or drink milk to get enough protein and calcium in our diets.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Carolina Wrens and Moo Shu Vegetables with Homemade Chinese Pancakes

So many things to love about Winter...

A blast of brisk, cool air in your face as you step outside...  the crunch crunch crunching of fresh snow beneath your feet...  a cup of piping hot coffee in front of a roaring fire.

On bright, sunny mornings after an overnight snowfall, I love to venture outside with the camera and stroll around the back yard, taking pictures of all of the birds as they visit the feeders for their morning meal.  We have quite a variety of neat and interesting birds that show up throughout the day, but the Carolina Wren is probably my favorite.

Once I hear this adorable little creature's familiar tea kettle-tea kettle-tea kettle-tea call, I crouch down amongst the row of lilacs behind the feeder with my camera, and wait quietly for the wren to arrive.  Soon, he discovers the feeder and begins to peck away at safflower seed.  As this feathered wonder feasts, I snap multiple pictures, capturing him in his element as he packs away the calories to survive the winter.

Then, I hang the camera around my neck and...  quietly...  with the gentle, tiger steps, I tiptoe towards the feeder.  When the moment is right, I spring forward and pounce upon the helpless wren, wrestling it to the ground.  Once properly subdued, I tote the wren inside the house to the kitchen, where my wife is waiting with the cutting board, a pile of julienned vegetables, and a block of pressed tofu that's about to be sectioned into thin strips.

     "Put him in there," she orders, motioning towards a mixture of hoisin sauce and tamari in a bowl on the counter.  "He should marinate for at least eight hours."

As I dunk the wren in the bowl and stir him around to evenly coat, my wife begins to slice the tofu into--

Who would ever want to eat a face like that?

I'm actually joking.  We're very fond of our Carolina Wrens, but we don't really eat them.  We just enjoy watching them, listening to their beautiful songs, and taking pictures if the opportunity presents itself.

The title of the post makes it seem like I'm writing about a dish made up of Carolina Wrens and Moo Shu Vegetables all rolled up in a Chinese pancake.  But really, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to write about my love of Carolina Wrens or about tonight's delicious dinner, which was Moo Shu Vegetables with Homemade Chinese Pancakes.  So I decided to write about both and go ahead with the ambiguous title of the post.

Pretty clever, huh?

Moo Shu Vegetables with Not-So-Homemade Wegmans Pancake

Anyways, tonight's plant-based dinner comes to you courtesy of vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli, of Chloe's Kitchen fame.  So far, we've only made this twice, but it's fast becoming one of my favorite dinners.  The mixture of moo shu veggies includes extra firm tofu, white and green onions, baby bella mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and shredded cabbage and carrots, all sautéed in vegetable broth, soy sauce, and a bit of oil.

As for the homemade pancakes, Chloe's instructions for preparing them are quite simple and straight-forward.  However, purchasing flour tortillas as Wegmans is also simple and straight-forward, and this is the path we chose on this particular evening.

The full recipe is actually available online right HERE at Google's Books website.

We enjoyed our Moo Shu Vegetables and Wegmans Not-Homemade Pancakes with oven-roasted balsamic broccoli and sweet potato fries.

Again, any questions as to whether or not a meal without a monstrous hunk of carcass can provide adequate protein can be laid to rest when running an analysis with the Cronometer:

Calories, Carbohydrates, and Lipids

Vitamins and Minerals

Protein

My dinner of two moo shu veggie pancakes, along with a generous portion of oven-roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries provided me with over 40% of my daily protein requirements.  And check out that calcium score.  It's off the chart at almost 850mg, without an ounce of dairy in sight.

The main lesson to be learned here, aside from the fact that Carolina Wrens aren't to be eaten, is that tofu can be an excellent source of calcium, as long as you purchase the variety that's prepared and set with calcium sulfate.

Stay tuned for my next entry, when I introduce another plant-based protein powerhouse.

Indy is dangerously close to failing his monthly drug test.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Thai Sweet Potato Burgers with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Yum...

Let's kick off the day with a question that I frequently hear when discussing dinner.

     "If you don't eat meat, fish, eggs, or dairy...  What the hell do you eat?"

I try not to proselytize or advertise my dietary preferences ad nauseum, but if people are curious about what's on the menu or simply want some information, I'll talk.  When they find out that I try to avoid animal products around 95% of the time, they're often left astounded, bewildered, and scratching their heads...  wondering how it's possible that I haven't yet wasted away to a meager pile of flaccid skin and brittle bones.

     "What do you eat, then?  Sticks...  twigs...  tree bark?  Do you forage in the forest?  Do you eat tree mites"?

Some of these questions are quite outlandish, but not entirely unexpected, given what we've been conditioned to believe constitutes a complete meal in this country.  From the moment we came stampeding forth from out mothers’ wombs, we've been brainwashed to believe that a complete meal contains a huge hunk of meat in the center of the plate, a small side of steamed, soggy vegetables, another small side of potatoes or rice, and maybe a tiny green salad.

I should know, as I happily ate this way for years.

Don't forget the milk.

We all know that our nutritious meal wouldn't be complete without a tall, frosty glass of milk.  Science (i.e. the dairy industry) has shown that if we skip milk at dinner, we put ourselves at immediate risk for fracturing every bone in our body before dessert even hits the table.

     "Do you just eat green salads all day?”

I try to eat at least one large green salad or green vegetable every day (Dark, leafy greens are one of the safest, most plentiful source of calcium available - by far).  But that barely scratches the surface.

     "What the hell do you eat?"

Believe it or not, my current diet is actually more diverse than ever, as I've been able to try an incredible number of foods that I'd never before considered.

And so begins a new trend...  Starting today, I'm going to make a slightly greater than half-assed attempt to update the blog more frequently by posting pictures, descriptions, and recipes (if possible) detailing our evening meal, in hopes of reassuring inquiring minds that those of us who avoid animal products are not depriving ourselves and truly enjoy our food.

So let's get started.

IT'S BURGER NIGHT!!!

     "I thought you didn't eat meat."

Pig
*Male piglets are castrated at a young age
without anesthesia.  This is why pig testicles
may be less likely to make it into
your sausage patty.
We don't.  Who says that a burger has to be made out of beef?  I didn't say hamburger, did I?

Actually, why do we call it hamburger when ham actually comes from pigs?

A hamburger implies that the patty in question is made of pig muscles, pig bones, pig nostrils, pig vaginas*, feces, antibiotics, flu viruses, and other items commonly found in ground pork.  To avoid confusion, we should refer to traditional hamburgers as ‘beefburgers’.  That way, the consumer knows that the end product in their supermarket meat department labeled as such contains ground up cows, horses, euthanized dogs and cats, chickens, turkeys, blood, and feces.

But, I digress...

The burger you see in the picture below is a Th--

     "WAIT...  EUTHANIZED DOGS AND CATS!?!?!?"

Yes, that's right.

     "THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

Yes.  Yes it is.  In his book Mad Cowboy, former cattle rancher Howard Lyman describes the $2.4-billion-a-year rendering industry, in which all varieties of dead animals are ground up and processed, and used to enrich livestock feed:
When a cow is slaughtered...  the intestines and their contents, the head, hooves, and horns, as well as bones and blood...  are dumped into giant grinders and rendering plants, as are the entire bodies of cows and other farm animals known to be diseased...  Another staple of the renderer's diet, in addition to farm animals, is euthanized pets - the six or seven million dogs and cats that are killed in animal shelters every year.  The City of Los Angeles alone, for example, sends some two hundred tons of euthanized cats and dogs to a rendering plant every month.  Added to the blend are the euthanized catch of animal control agencies, and roadkill.  (Lyman 11-12)
So what happens to this putrid mess of filth anyways?  Lyman continues:
When this gruesome mix is ground and steam-cooked, the lighter, fatty material floating to the top gets refined for use in such products as cosmetics, lubricants, soaps, candles, and waxes.  The heavier protein material is dried and pulverized into a brown powder - about a quarter of which consists of fecal material.  The powder is used as an additive to almost all pet food as well as to livestock feed.  (Lyman 12)
But wait.  There is some good news:
In August of 1997, in response to the growing concern about the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (or Mad Cow disease), the FDA issued a new regulation that bans the feeding of ruminant protein (protein from cud-chewing animals) to ruminants; therefore, to the extent that the regulation is actually enforced, cattle are no longer quite the cannibals that we had made them into.  They are no longer eating solid parts of other cattle, or sheep, or goats.  (Lyman 12-13)
Wow, that's a relief.  But don't get too excited:
They still munch, however, on ground-up dead horses, dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, and turkeys, as well as blood and fecal material of their own species and that of chickens.  (Lyman 13)
Pretty cool, huh?

Now that we've learned something new, we can play a fun game called "Journey from Dumpster to Burger", in which we trace a batch of discarded chicken wings tainted with E. Coli along the man-made factory-farmed food chain, until they eventually end up in your dinner...
...from the dumpster behind the chain restaurant...  to the hungry raccoon who scavenges for his dinner...  to the rendering plant where the raccoon was sent after becoming roadkill...  to the pet food factory in the form of brown, fecal powder...  to your dog Rex's dinner bowl...  to the vet where poor Rex was euthanized a week later after incurable food poisoning...  back to the rendering plant to be processed into brown, fecal powder...  to the factory farm as part of 'enriched' livestock feed...  to the stomach of the cow that was slaughtered to provide you with that delicious bacon double cheeseburger that sits before you on a plate next to a towering pile of french fries...
But enough already.  The burger you see in the picture up above is--

     "I'M ABOUT TO EAT A BURGER MADE OF POOP AND VIRUSES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR POOR REX'S PASSING?"

Relax, would you?

As long as you cook your Rexburger to 160 degrees, you'll probably kill around 97% of any lingering pathogens, toxins, and disease.  And stop interrupting me.

Think you're better off eating chicken because it might be safer?  Think again. 

Check out this video courtesy of NutritionFacts.org, in which Foster Farms' reaction to possibly infecting and sickening over 10,000 people with its feces-infested chicken is basically a great big, "WHATEVS!"

The burger you see in the picture way up above is a Thai Sweet Potato Burger with Spicy Peanut Sauce.  Instead of pig vaginas*, the primary bulk of the patty is made from sweet potatoes, chick peas, and good old-fashioned rolled oats.  Throw in some cilantro, basil, cloves, and ginger for your spices, along with moistened flaxseed for binding purposes, top it off with a tangy peanut sauce, and you've got yourself a delicious plant-based burger.

The recipe comes from the Oh She Glows blog, courtesy of Angela Liddon.  If you're interested in becoming more familiar with plant-based cooking, Angela's blog is a great place to find hundreds of delicious recipes.

Click HERE for the link to the recipe on her blog.

On this particular evening, we enjoyed our burgers with a garlic-Brussels sprout sauté and homemade steak fries.

I know, I know.  You've already got your next question locked and loaded.

     "No meat?  But where do you get your protein?"

Relax.  Plants have plenty of protein, and I have no problem meeting my daily requirements.  Let's take a look at the complete nutritional profile of my dinner, which included two burgers on kaiser rolls, a big helping of Brussels sprouts, and a pile of steak fries.

The program I used to analyze my feast is called the Cronometer, and a free version is available HERE online.

The first screen below includes a list of everything I devoured at dinner.  One cool feature of the Cronometer is that you can create your own recipes and save them for future use.  In the case of these burgers, I added all of the ingredients to the Cronomter, and saved it as a full recipe.  Since we were able to get six large burgers out of the full recipe, I simply figured that my two burgers were equal to 2/6 of the full recipe...  or 1/3.  My Brussels sprouts were sautéed with garlic and green onions, and I ate the equivalent of 2 large potatoes worth of steak fries.

Ingredients...  (Oh $h!t, I forgot to list the kaiser rolls.  Oh well...  )
Protein - including breakdown of amino acids

How did I fare with my protein intake?  Take a look at the above chart.

In just one sitting, I amassed almost 45 grams of protein, which figures out to be around 70% of my target goal based on my body weight.  You may be wondering why some of the amino acids listed above are showing up as 'No Target'.  Out of the 19 amino acids listed above, only 11 are considered to be essential...  that is, we cannot manufacture them on our own and must obtain them from the food we eat.  The remaining can be made within our bodies as needed.

Just for fun, let's look at the remaining nutritional analysis of my dinner:

Carbohydrates and Lipids

Vitamins and Minerals

Apparently, I don't appear to be lacking in most of the essential vitamins and minerals (save for Vitamin D and B12, which is not alarming).

What's more, check out my calcium intake of 261.7 mg.  That's over 25% of my daily requirements.  How is it possible that I managed to scrounge up over 250 mg of calcium without ingesting even an ounce of dairy as part of my meal?

Actually, it's pretty simple if you just sit back and think about it rationally.

Calcium, like all other minerals, comes from the ground...  from the dirt...  from the earth.  All of the crops, plants, and greens that we grow absorb calcium from the soil.  In turn, when we eat those plants, we ingest that calcium and use it as needed.

Where do you think cows get calcium, anyways...  the fucking dairy aisle at Wegmans?  Does Farmer Brown open up the barnyard cheese bar at six o'clock sharp and round up the bovine herd for their evening calcium fix?

Cows actually get their calcium from the ground when they eat plants.

Like all other mammalian herbivores on this planet, cows drink milk exclusively from the teats of their own mothers, getting just the right amount of calcium to grow large enough until they wean.  After weaning, they never drink any milk for the rest of their lives.  But somehow, they manage to get enough calcium from the plants they eat to grow to a full adult weight of 1,600 to 2,300 pounds.

Let me pose another question.

When was the last time you saw a teenage rhinoceros stampeding frantically through the woods after a lactating coyote in an attempt to get a few extra squirts of milk because it was worried about osteoporosis?

We get deer in our backyard quite frequently.  Whenever they congregate during their meal time to nibble compost and birdseed off the ground, I don't ever witness any adolescent woodchucks hopping up and down beneath their undercarriages, trying to latch on to any swollen deer mammaries that may have been ripe and ready to flow.

Humans are the only species on this planet who drink the milk of another after the weaning period.  No other species even drinks the milk of their own after weaning.

When compared to the lengthy duration that we've occupied the planet, the amount of time that we've spent relying on the milk of other species is actually quite minuscule.  True, we gradually adapted to be able to drink milk, but this was simply as an evolutionary survival mechanism during times when food, energy, and calories may have been scarce.

Today, we don't need to drink the milk of another species to survive...  or to get enough calcium.

It's true that milk from cows is a plentiful source of calcium.  But is that really surprising, considering that its principal purpose is to help a baby calf gain several hundred pounds in six months?

Along with that calcium includes plentiful fat, cholesterol, as well as copious amounts of hormones.  The more dairy we consume, the more we directly impact and elevate the levels of hormones that are constantly circulating throughout our bodies.  Considering that the connection between elevated levels of hormones in the body to the increased risk breast and prostate cancer has been well-documented in the scientific literature for decades, I think I'll have that latte with soy milk, instead.

Just don't look to the National Dairy Association for this information, as they'll continue to claim that cow's milk is a wholesome, nutritious food that's safe for your entire family.

In closing, let's watch another fun video from NutritionFacts.org, in which researchers described how they analyzed data from multiple experiments and concluded that dripping organic cow's milk on prostate cancer cells in a petri dish increased their growth rate by an average of 30%, while dripping almond milk on the cancer cells suppressed their growth rate by the same average of 30%.

Click HERE to watch the video.  And again, don't look to the National Dairy Association to be advertising this research any time soon.

Want prostate cancer?  Drink cow's milk.

In the meantime, please enjoy your delicious Thai Sweet Potato Burgers.