Indianapolis’ premier door-to-door provider of fresh, organic produce, Farm Fresh Delivery, will supply the event with the finest fruits and vegetables from local summer gardens.  This is the second [...]]]> On Saturday, August 14 the Indianapolis Vegetarian Society (IVS), in partnership with Farm Fresh Delivery, will host their tenth annual Indianapolis vegetarian dinner fundraiser—Savor the Summer Garden.

Indianapolis’ premier door-to-door provider of fresh, organic produce, Farm Fresh Delivery, will supply the event with the finest fruits and vegetables from local summer gardens.  This is the second year that IVS has teamed up with a local business to specifically highlight produce that can be grown locally and prepared in non-traditional and delicious ways.

“Eating vegetarian and eating locally are two of the best and easiest ways to get healthier,” said Nancee Reeves a long-time member of IVS and a Savor organizer. “Farm Fresh is a partner that supports the core reason we do Savor, that promoting our own health and supporting our local communities and our larger environment are all connected endeavors.”

The event will be held at Earth House at 237 N. East St., from 1PM to 3PM. Tickets are $12 in advance $15 at the door. Tickets are available at Earth House and at Whole Foods Market or online at BrownPaperTickets. For children ages 4-10 tickets are only $6. Three and under eat free.

“People still ask me, ‘As a vegetarian, what do you eat?’” said Jessica Suhre, Indianapolis Vegetarian Society president. “We eat very well. Having specific rules means vegetarians go out of their way to expose themselves to new foods and unique combinations. We hope that people will come out and see what we’ve learned and share a meal with us in a friendly, laid-back atmosphere.”

Designed around the local, organic fruits and vegetables from Farm Fresh Delivery, the menu from WISH TV 8’s own Chef Wendell will offer delights like Black Bean “Sushi” Wraps with Cilantro Aioli and Creamy Polenta with Toasted Corn..

Booth space for partners and sponsors is available.

For more information call Jim Pavlik at 224.572.8545

First, for the non vegans/vegetarians that might stumble [...]]]> I don’t know how many vegans were at the Dine Out last week, nor do I know how many Diners Out partook of Broad Ripple Brewpubs delicious beers for fear of violating their dietary model. But for what it’s worth I thought I would offer a few comments.

First, for the non vegans/vegetarians that might stumble upon this blog and wonder what all the hubbub is about here is a quick rundown.

Yeast is not the problem. All beers contain yeast. Many beers use some sort of filtration system that removes most of the yeast but that wouldn’t satisfy most vegans if they had a problem with yeast. If yeast were an animal then merely using yeast would be problematic, even if it weren’t ingested. But, yeast is not an animal, it’s a fungus.

Rather, the problematic addition to beer would have been isinglass. Isinglass is a cheap and plentiful source of collagen and brewers and vinters use it as a clarifying agent, that is, it helps naturally occurring organic material to coalesce and precipitate out of the beer or wine. British beers, especially British real ales (the ones served from casks), use it almost exclusively. And the Broad Ripple Brewpub makes British beers and always has two cask ales on tap. I feared the worst.

Isinglass is made from fish swim bladders and of course vegans would have a problem drinking beer made with fish.

But, I asked our server that night and she asked the bartender who apparently knows from brewing methods and he said that they don’t use isinglass in their brewing.

Nobody was sure what they did use, and if somebody knows, be sure to chime in, but my speculation is that they use Irish Moss which is a form of seaweed. But I’ll continue to poke my head in on the subject until I know for sure.

As part of his mission to [...]]]> Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues, spoke at Earth House last week as a guest of IVS. He was charming, entertaining, and didn’t seem to mind that I almost knocked him over trying to get to the microphone.

As part of his mission to educate the public, Dr. Greger scours the world’s scholarly journals so his lecture will be up-to-date and 100% correct. His lecture is in a quiz show format, which keeps you on your toes (literally). As a prize (which I won, since I know soooo much about nutrition), Dr. Greger gives out CDs containing all the journals articles his lecture is based on. I have not even gotten close to reading all the information on the disk, but below are some highlights, distressing facts, and information that makes me look (and smell) good.

• Too much or too little sleep can make you gain weight. Those who sleep five to six hours a night gain an average of 4.4 pounds, while those who sleep nine to ten hours gain 3.5 pounds.

• Cat owners are at a lower risk for cardiovascular disease and depression, have better blood pressure, less stress, and lower cholesterol (Since I have six cats I guess I’ll live forever).

• Middle-aged men who eat seven or more eggs a week have a higher risk of early death (Being a girl rules!).

• Restaurant workers only comply with cleanliness regulations 5% of the time (I like those odds!).

• Vegetarians have a 76% lower mortality rate then non-vegetarians.

• Intelligence is associated with healthy food choices independently of educational attainment (I choose to interpret this as vegetarians are just born smarter).

• Raw mushrooms are bad for you; cooked mushrooms are good for you.

• People on non-meat diets smell more pleasant and less intense than meat-eaters (this info was in a folder Dr. Greger named “not boring”).

• Men whose mothers ate lost of beef while pregnant have lower sperm counts.

• Sliced cheese is full of aluminum.

• The South American acąi berry does not help you lose weight (so much for those “health” acąi sundays).

Americans have departed [...]]]> After dusting off the dreary grayness of winter and savoring spring’s first tender greens, consider the infinite universe below the surface of your skin. Often overlooked, your inner ecosystem brims with trillions of needy inhabitants and chemical reactions dependant upon a green, pure, fresh diet harmonious with our design.

Americans have departed from the path of nutritional righteousness.  It’s stirring, however to see how swiftly the seed of “Earth Suit ecology” is being reborn within our green consciousness. To restore, give health, and prop up your inner ecology, your Earth Suit needs to function with efficiency to eliminate the ill health robbing you of the joy of living. Enter Hippocrates, the father of medicine who waxed poetic in 400 BC, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

The Green Movement focuses on the external world of objects and resources; however, while greening what lies beneath your 1.5 mm of flesh, you need a methodology for compassionately understanding the mechanisms by which it operates.  By foraging from Earth’s universal apothecary, we simultaneously nurture and heal our inner and outer milieu. Consuming a rainbow of sustainable local foods crammed with vital cosmic energy cultivate, refresh and strengthen your Earth Suit’s mind/body ecosystem like a fresh spring breeze. After considering both and making informed choices, you’ll discover local foods are eternally more flavorful, provide more energy, contain vastly more nutrients, and make the cooking process a joyful celebration.

There are many disquieting environmental factors affecting gut ecology. Our body intelligence does not recognize alien food not preordained for human consumption. These (so-called) foods and the air you breathe worm their way into digestion.

Mono-crop faming causes deficiencies in trace minerals, such as zinc and selenium which aid elimination of toxic elements in food and prop up healthy biological processes. Depletion of nutrients by means of mono-crop agribusiness compromises below-the-skin ecology and the ability to synthesize essential vitamins; ergo, many are subtly malnourished, susceptible to disease.

Eating without thinking leaves you vulnerable to select foods less healthy for you, your family and Mother Earth. Savor the true flavor; ponder its source, what it’s doing for your viscera, and then express gratitude. Your body is your buddy.

The Indianapolis Vegetarian Society presents: Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this brand-new talk of the latest in cutting-edge research.  Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific nutrition [...]]]> Speaker: Dr. Michael Greger
Where: Earth House, 237 N East St, Indianapolis
Date/Time: April 20, 5:30pm
Cost is free

The Indianapolis Vegetarian Society presents: Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this brand-new talk of the latest in cutting-edge research.  Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific nutrition journals,  Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic disease In an engaging interactive quiz show format.
A founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues.  He has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the International Bird Flu Summit, the National Institutes of Health, testified before Congress, and was invited as an expert witness in the defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous “meat defamation” trial. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine. Currently Dr. Greger serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States.

Join us as we celebrate our 10th annual Great American Meatout here in Indianapolis! Indy Hostel has invited us to celebrate at their welcoming location. We are planning a vegetarian/vegan CHILI COOKOFF! If you are inclined, we’d love for you to bring a pot of chili [...]]]> Where: Indy Hostel–4903 Winthrop Ave., Indianapolis
Date/Time: March 20, time 6:00pm

Join us as we celebrate our 10th annual Great American Meatout here in Indianapolis! Indy Hostel has invited us to celebrate at their welcoming location. We are planning a vegetarian/vegan CHILI COOKOFF! If you are inclined, we’d love for you to bring a pot of chili to enter into the contest, or feel free to bring your favorite side to chili/crackers/drinks etc. A prize will be awarded to the winning chili maker! Local musician and vegetarian Robert Coates will provide entertainment and it will be a true festival atmosphere. Cost is free.

(Not to be confused with our annual large-scale veg dinner, Savor)

Whether the motivation was the delicious food offerings, health, ethics, geo-politics, animal welfare or plain [...]]]> To celebrate vegetarianism in Indiana, a diverse, hale and hardy contingency of the Indianapolis Vegetarian Society converged upon the welcoming confines of the Indiana Humanities Council February 27, 2010 to celebrate the earth, its resources, plus our furry and feathered co-inhabitants.

Whether the motivation was the delicious food offerings, health, ethics, geo-politics, animal welfare or plain curiosity or hunger, the cheery group was buzzing with scintillating, inspiring conversations.  A terrific way to network, establish new friends of like-mind and score some tasty vegetarian and vegan recipes.

The IVS holds their potlucks bimonthly and welcomes everyone to join the varietal Pitch-In dinners. Check the IVS website for April’s date or we can add you tour mailing list and you’ll be notified. Bring a dish and a friend, along with your appetite, to the next IVS Pitch-In. Your stomach, the earth and its critters will be thankful.