GOFFSTOWN --A herd of Jersey cows is grazing on a hilltop on Shirley Hill Road with the Uncanoonuc Mountains in the background.

Jim Shirley's family has farmed these 500 fertile acres - on Shirley Hill and Wallace roads - for nine generations, dating to 1763, 13 years before the founding of the United States of America. Over the years, they have grown vegetables, apples and hops, produced milk and harvested timber and hay.

Shirley, an attorney and shareholder in the Manchester firm of Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green in Manchester, jokes that his role on the farm today is to provide "cheap labor."

For 15 years, Jim's wife, Sara, also an attorney, operated a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in which people buy shares for the certified organic vegetables grown on the farm. The CSA is no more but organic vegetables are still grown by nine families, including the Shirleys, who share in the cost, work and bounty.

Four years ago, they found Max and Melissa Blindow to manage the farm for them.

Melissa was born in Michigan and grew up in Peterborough. She studied ecology, math and philosophy, and worked on farms in America and in Germany - where she met Max, who was born in Munster. Max apprenticed and managed farm operations in New Zealand, Germany and America.

Melissa co-founded a green building cooperative, helped convert a hot lunch program to organic local food and taught after-school cooking and gardening classes. She worked as Land For Good's New Hampshire field agent for three years before turning to farming full time.

They met while working on a biodynamic farm in Velbert, Germany, and moved to New Hampshire shortly after to start Benedikt Dairy in Bedford.

At the time they were brought on board at Shirley Farm, they had their own CSA for Benedikt Dairy, which was operating out of the educational Joppa Hill Farm in Bedford. In 2013, Joppa Hill ran into problems with the town because the barn had become dilapidated and was found to have asbestos in it.

Sara Shirley said an individual who was a member of both her and the Blindows' CSAs called her up and asked if she would be interested in the dairy cows.

"In February of 2013 we were introduced to the Shirleys and moved our original four cows to Shirley Farm when the barn at the educational farm at Joppa Hill in Bedford was closed for remediation and we outgrew the space there," said Melissa Blindow.

Today, the Blindows have about 45 cows, 600 chickens and 20 pigs. A milking herd of about two dozen graze at Shirley Farm, and heifers and steers, raised for their meat, are housed on another organic farm.

All the cattle have names.

"We generally name them with names that start with the first letter of their mothers' name. Copper is the daughter of Casey, and Claire and Carlie are Copper's daughters," Melissa wrote in an email. "Birte is Bianca's daughter, Elfrida is the daughter of Echo, etc.

"The bull calves are named by various themes. We had a series of philosophers: Rauls, Copernicus, Camus and Socrates among others, then historical dictators like Bashar, Benito, and Slobo. But caring for dictators felt dubious after a while, so we moved on to Vikings, and now world politicians."

Among the milking herd are three young calves; five more are expected to be born in the next month.

They have continued their Benedikt Dairy CSA, with organic ice cream, one of the most popular products. Everything they sell is certified organic.

"Anyone can sign up for the CSA," she said. "Our ice cream CSA is almost at capacity with just a couple shares left currently. Raw milk, cream, egg, and yogurt shares are still available for Monday, Thursday or Saturday pick ups. Other days are currently at capacity."

The CSA is flexible with all items offered a la carte so plans can be tailored to each household's weekly needs, she said.

Melissa said she and her husband feel fortunate to be "helping to manage and maintain this farm and its natural resources. Careful consideration is given to the history and beauty of Shirley Farm, and our goal is to produce foods that taste delicious and pure. Food that comes not only from our labor but from the labor of those before us."

Jim and Sara Shirley intend to keep the land as a working farm while caring for its historic buildings. The Shirleys live across the street from the dairy operation in a farmhouse built circa 1840. The original building, Jim Shirley said, burned down.

In 2008, they gave a conservation easement of 75 acres of the farm to the town and, with the assistance of the U.S. Farmland Protection Policy Act, the town bought a conservation easement on a neighboring farm on Shirley Hill.

As a result, more than 270 acres on the top of the hill are protected farmland.

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Organic produce, dairy now the focus at 254-year-old Shirley Farm ... - NewHampshire.com

Anti-GMO rally in Pack Square, Asheville, North Carolina (May 25, 2013). Photo Credit: J. Bicking/Shutterstock

The trailer of the new documentary "Food Evolution," which negatively portrays both me and the organic food movement, fails to acknowledge the reality of American mothers. Our families are sick and struggling. And yet, whenwe remove GMOsand related toxins from our diet, we get better. The trailer implies that the movie will focus on the so-called noble promises of GMOs, yet fails to present reality in a noble manner.

In the last paragraph of the description of the film on its website, filmmakers Trace Sheehan and Scott Kennedy say, "And as we take in the scientific process at work, let's do our best to put aside bias so we can have more productive conversations and make the most informed decisions we can."

Yet, in the trailerbefore the movie is even outthey take my words out of context, misrepresenting what I say with heavy editing and belittling the experiences of thousands of American families. That doesn't look like putting bias aside; it looks like an advertisement for GMOs.

In fact, Scott Kennedys crew misrepresented their intentions in order to interview food movement proponents Jeffrey Smith, Vani Hari and myself. Claiming that the film would be a balanced representation of both sides of the food movement was misleading and ignoble.

Vani Hari told me she did not grant permission for her image to be used in the film, yet it was used anyway. Jeffrey Smith and I granted permission for one interview with first right of refusal. The filmmakers failed to honor that agreement and never showed us the first cut. Marion Nestle and I have asked for our interviews to be removed from the film, with no response.

A few months after the interview with Jeffrey Smith and Vani Hari, I was surrounded by GMO proponents Kavin Senapathy and Karl Haro Von Mogel at the March Against Monsanto in Chicago. They shouted at me in order to try to antagonize me into appearing like a hysterical activist. I told them they did not have my permission to use my image, but they did anyway. The filmmakers are more interested in appeasing the chemical companies that sell GMOs and pesticides than of accurately portraying concerned Americans.

In the film they edited my interview in order to make it look like I said, I trust social media more than scientists. What I actually said was that I trust the mothers who are seeing their children get sick after consuming GMOs and related toxins and are courageously sharing their new reality on social media, more than the scientists who are conducting isolated experiments funded by Big Ag.

I said that when I see my child get sick after consuming GMOs and toxins, and then see him get better when he eats organic foods, I dont need another scientific study to tell me we should avoid GMOs and toxins. Thousands of moms agree with me and they are sharing their experiences as well. I trust the moms who are sharing their truth. Apparently Scott Kennedy does not.

This film is not only blatantly pro-GMO, it is patronizing. The filmmakers are trying to make the issue look like its an issue of emotional moms vs. science. The fact is, GMO proponents are nervous because we have the truth and we havesound science to back us up. The filmmakers would not be trying to invalidate us if we did not have something valid to say.

The film attempts to discredit the organic food movement by belittling the power of social media, but the world knows that social media is now the dominant way to reach people with a message. (Just ask President Trump.) Social media is filled with honest stories of sick children, desperate families and skyrocketing medical costs. Unfortunately, pro-GMO proponents are pushing cherry-picked scientific data from short-term studies, while failing to disclose their funding.

Their perspectives are limited by their lack of real-world experience and their motivations are questionable. Its no coincidence that the point the film is trying to make aligns with huge profits for chemical companies.

In theNew York Times reviewof the film, the reviewer writes that while it's true there is an increased use of pesticides with GMOs, "those pesticides are far less toxic."

What degree of food toxicity is acceptable for you to give to your children? Maybe science doesn't know the answer to that question, but mothers do.

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Have the 'Food Evolution' Filmmakers Mistreated Moms? - AlterNet

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross called Amazons recent $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods a clever move because it marries Amazons marketing and distribution expertise with a high-quality, niche retailer. One suspects that perhaps Secretary Ross, a 79-year-old billionaire investor and art collector, doesnt do a lot of grocery shopping.

More to the point, as to the high quality of Whole Foods operation and reputation, he might wish to check with his government colleagues at the FDA and Department of Justice, because Whole Foods violations of state and federal law have been escalating: Theyve gone from defrauding their customers in various ways to adopting food-preparation practices that actually endanger them.

The acquisition could benefit shareholders and consumers alike if Amazon repurposes Whole Foods vast store space, adding new kinds of capacity to its broader businesses. Consider, for example, the shelf space devoted to high-saturated-fat coconut oil, which Whole Foods last summer said was (still!) trending [in a positive direction] and for good reason. Good reason, indeed. Whole Foods is partly to blame for 72 percent of Americans considering coconut oil to be a healthy food, compared with only 37 percent of nutritionists, according to a survey conducted by the polling firm Morning Consult and the New York Times. (It isnt.)

Amazons growing dominance irks those who have a sentimental preference for shopping locally, even if that is at local behemoths such as Whole Foods and Lowes. But for those concerned about things like their grocery products carbon footprint, Amazons efficient approach is undoubtedly greener than the outmoded, illogical Whole Foods model.

Consider this: Last week, one of us (Jeff Stier) called Lowes to see if they had a specific Weber grill in stock, before driving ten miles round-trip to pick up the one item. While getting bounced around the stores phone system and put on hold for the second time for more than three minutes, Jeff, who tries to be as efficient with his resources as he is with the earths, found the grill at Amazon.com. He ordered it, with free two-day delivery, at the same price hed have paid at Lowes, whose employees didnt pick up before Jeff completed his Amazon purchase and hung up the phone.

But a grill isnt an ethically and locally grown organic, non-GMO, gluten-free cherry, a defender of Whole Foods might say. True, but when it comes to sound management, efficiency, and honest dealing with customers, Whole Foods has more in common with Lowes (or, for that matter, United Airlines) than Amazon.

Known sardonically as Whole Paycheck for its outrageous prices, Whole Foods has repeatedly been found guilty of widespread cheating. New York City Department of Consumer Affairs investigators found in 2015 that the company systematically ripped off unwitting customers by routinely overstating the weight of prepackaged foods including meats, seafood, dairy, and baked goods. The co-CEO dismissed these thefts as mistakes.

That travesty followed an $800,000 settlement the previous year with the city attorneys of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and San Diego after Whole Foods stores were found to be overcharging by not accounting for the weight of containers at their already overpriced salad bars.

Whole Foods bills itself as Americas Healthiest Grocery Store, even trademarking the term. Yet on June 8, 2016, in a devastating warning letter one of the most severe compliance actions that the FDA has at its disposal the FDA said Whole Foods was manufacturing, packaging, and storing food in ways that promoted contamination with microorganisms that cause food poisoning.

Among the long list of serious problems identified during multiple inspections in February 2016 at a 70,000-square-foot facility that supplied prepared foods and other products to 74 stores across eight states were foods such as pasta and mushroom quesadillas prepared or stored in places where condensation was dripping from ceilings, a doorway, and a fan.

In addition, the company kept dirty dishes near food, did not supply hot water at some hand-washing sinks, and allowed high-pressure hoses used for cleaning to spray food-preparation areas.

In 2015, Whole Foods had to recall batches of its curry-chicken salad and a pasta salad from East Coast stores after the products were found during a routine inspection of the same plant to be contaminated with a nasty bacterium called listeria. And last October, organic micro greens were recalled from Whole Foods because of salmonella contamination that was discovered not by the grower or Whole Foods but during a random check by the FDA.

This year (through June 19), Whole Foods has announced no fewer than 32 recalls, most often for undeclared allergens or pathogenic bacteria in its food products. These included cheeses made from raw, unpasteurized milk, a known hazard. The fact that many problems failed to be detected by Whole Foods quality-control systems strongly suggests that there are far more safety problems that we dont know about.

There are other ways that Whole Foods fails to live up to its claims about being the healthiest. The companys disingenuousness in providing information to its customers is as bad as its deficient food preparation and storage. Its website promotes the practice of homeopathy including for treating illnesses in babies, some of which, including the flu, can be serious even though homeopathy is pseudoscientific rubbish from the same mold as perpetual-motion machines. (And it ignores both that homeopathic products may actually be harmful and that for many illnesses there are real drugs that actually work.)

Central to the companys grossly inflated pricing and popularity are misleading representations about its organic-food offerings. There is, for example, the holier-than-thou Whole Foods importing large amounts of its supposedly organic produce from China, of all places. Those imports even included Whole Foods house brand, California Blend. The company insists that Chinas organic certification of its agricultural products is just as strict and reliable as that in the United States. If you believe that, we can offer you a terrific price on the Golden Gate Bridge which, by the way, really is in California.

The company must have a low threshold for optimism, because it cites shoddy, cherry-picked research from biased sources.

For instance, it has cited leading research by the Organic Center, an outfit directed by organic-food and organic-supplement makers. Moreover, Whole Foods fails to acknowledge persuasive evidence that debunks the organic-is-healthier hoax. A widely publicized, peer-reviewed analysis published in 2012 in Annals of Internal Medicine by researchers at Stanford Universitys Center for Health Policy aggregated and analyzed data from 237 studies to determine whether organic foods are safer or healthier than non-organic foods. They concluded that fruits and vegetables that met the criteria for organic were on average no more nutritious than their far cheaper conventional counterparts.

Whole Foods may have enjoyed financial success (at least until its share price began to decline in late 2014; it is currently off 36 percent from its high), but lets not confuse doing well with doing good. Wells Fargo and the tobacco companies are cases in point.

Amazon changed the retail landscape by giving consumers what they want convenience, reliability, value, and first-rate customer service. Reconciling that ethos with the current version of Whole Foods might not check out.

READ MORE: Let Us Plunge toward Our Fast-Unfolding Future Whole Foods Cultural Appropriation of the Chopped-Cheese Sandwich College Op-Ed: We Have to Make Veganism Intersectional

Henry I. Miller, a physician and molecular biologist, is the Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution. He was the founding director of the FDAs Office of Biotechnology. Jeff Stier is a senior fellow and the director of the Risk Analysis Division at the National Center for Public Policy Research.

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Is $13.7 Billion a Good Price for Whole Foods? - National Review

Miami Herald

This hospital grows its own food, then serves it to patients Miami Herald The goal was to create educational programs that would give patients access to organic, sustainable foods. Squire leads the efforts in providing meals to patients with serious illnesses and putting on workshops for staff, students and the community on ... and more »

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This hospital grows its own food, then serves it to patients - Miami Herald

Ahmedabad: M K Gandhi, the young barrister who had becomefamous for fighting for the rights of Indians in racism-riven South Africa, settled in Ahmedabad in February 1915. On May 25 that year, he set up an ashram in Kochrab to further his mission to fight for Swaraj and to foster the system of community living.

On June 17, 1917, Gandhiji formed a new ashram in Sabarmati with 40-odd members. That institution changed the direction of India's freedom struggle.

The Sabarmati Ashram became a landmark in the world's conscience, owing to its association with Gandhiji's history-shaping campaigns such as the Champaran Satyagraha, the strike of mill workers in Ahmedabad, the Khilafat Movement, the Kheda Satyagraha, the Non-cooperation Movement, and finally, the Dandi March.

To commemorate the centenary year of the Sabarmati Ashram, the National Archives of India and the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation & Memorial Trust have organized an exhibition. From June 29, the ashram has been hosting the exhibition, titled 'Sabarmati Shatabdi Ek Karyanjali'.

An eponymous book was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 29. The exhibition will be on view till July 29.

TOI presents some vignettes from the book and the exhibition related to the Sabarmati Ashram and Gandhiji's association with Ahmedabad.

DESH SEVA ASHRAM?

Gandhiji was influenced by his experience of community living in South Africa, Santiniketan in West Bengal, and at the Gurukul Ashram near Haridwar. As mentioned in Volume 13 of "The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi", the names he considered for the ashram in Ahmedabad included Deshsevashram, Seva Mandir,and Satyagrahashram. But eventually both his ashrams were known by their location Kochrab and Sabarmati.

Rs 6,000 IS WHAT BAPU WANTED FROM AHMEDABAD

While establishing an ashram in Kochrab, Gandhiji had written a detailed letter to Sheth Mangaldas Girdhardas. In the letter, he had mentioned the names of all 40 inmates ready to shift with him to the new ashram. He said that he would need about 50,000 square feet of land for living quarters and three kitchens for 50-plus residents. He also asked for at least five acres of land for cultivation and a bullock cart or a horse-drawn carriage if the site was far from the railway station. He estimated the expense to be Rs 10 per month per person. "Thus, with an average of 50 inmates, the annual expenditure will come to Rs 6,000. If Ahmedabad is not prepared to do this for a year, I am in a position to provide for the boarding charges," Gandhiji wrote.

SHIFT FROM KOCHRAB TO SABARMATI

In 1917, two years after the Kochrab Ashram was established, plague broke out in Kochrab village, posing a health risk to ashram inmates, especially children. However, that was not the only reason for moving. As Gandhiji notes, "An ashram without an orchard, a farm or cattle would not be a complete unit. The ashram at Kochrab lacked these." Gandhiji also found the location between the central jail and the local crematorium appealing "jail-going was understood to be normal for Satyagrahis", he noted drily. He also observed that the sites selected for jails have generally clean surroundings! The shift took place on June 17, 1917, when Gandhiji was busy with the Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar.

STRIKING MILL WORKERS BECAME ASHRAM BUILDERS

The Sabarmati Ashram functioned on the principles that coalesced at the Phoenix Settlementwhich was founded by Gandhiji near Durban, South Africa, in 1904but with Indian sensibilities. Those who helped in creating infrastructure included Anasuya Sarabhai, Shankarlal Banker, and Narhari Parikh. Gandhiji in a letter to his nephew, Maganlal Gandhi, wrote that he estimated the cost of construction to be about Rs 20,000 while agreeing on the rough plan for the premises. In 1918, when mill workers went on strike in Ahmedabad, their services were rendered for the ashram in filling the foundation of the weaving school with sand.

ECONOMY OF THE ASHRAM

In a letter dated July 1, 1917, Gandhiji wrote from Motihari in Bihar that he needed Rs 400 per month as recurring expense and Rs 1.18 lakh for buying 55 bigha land for the construction of workshops, living rooms, and kitchens.

As the book of accounts on the display shows, the financial records of the ashram were meticulously maintained. A page indicates that the ashram had received Rs 5,000 as donation from Revashankar, and that Rs 350 was earned from the ashram's produce. The ashram spent money for maintenance, salaries, postage, and packaging.

On July 15, 1921, Gandhiji wrote to Hermann Kallenbach one of his closest associates in South Africa that crops grown at the ashram included cotton, wheat, millets, and various kinds of pulses. Oranges and pomegranates grew at the ashram orchard. Rain being scarce, the primary source of water for irrigation was a well in the compound. By 1928, the ashram had about 100 acres of land with grain and fodder fields, vegetable gardens, and a dairy with 25 cattle.

NOT GAU RAKSHA BUT GAU SEVA

In Volume 50 of "The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi", it is revealed that the Sabarmati Ashram inmates had tried to live without milk and ghee for a prolonged period. It was later decided to include the items in the diet as "the health of the children as well as the adults suffered under this regimen." Thus, it was resolved to keep cattle at the ashram. Gandhiji writes, "The Ashram believes in gauraksha (cow protection) as a religious duty. But the word gauraksha savours of pride. Man is incompetent to 'protect' animals, being himself in need of protection from God who is the Protector of all life. The word gauraksha was therefore replaced by gauseva (cow service)."

GANDHIJI'S FREEDOM RIDE

In February 1928, Gandhiji had taken part in an executive meeting at the Gujarat Vidyapith. After the meeting, the car belonging to Ranchhodlal Sheth was to drop him at the Sabarmati Ashram. However, the car did not arrive on schedule and Gandhiji had some appointments at the ashram. Without waiting further, Gandhiji borrowed the bicycle of Amrutlal Shelat, a Vidyapith student, and reached the ashram in time for engagements. Interestingly, the bicycle was made by Freedom Cycle Company. Amrut Modi, a trustee of the Sabarmati Ashram, got the bicycle from Narandas Gandhi in Rajkot and the trust restored it over 14 months.

VEGETARIAN=ANNAHARI?

Gandhiji used to receive hundreds of letters from across the globe and he would make it a point to answer most of them. Many were not about his work. In one such letter displayed at the exhibition, Bhagwaddas Brahmachari, the priest at the Rajadhiraj temple at Bakri Pol, Ahmedabad, asked Gandhiji about the exact meaning of the English term 'vegetarian.' "Do those identifying selves as vegetarians consume fish, eggs and milk?" the priest wrote. "Also, do they consume prohibited garlic and onion? So, what would describe them the best? Niramishahari or Satvikahari, as shakahari is a very limited word." In reply, Gandhiji wrote that foreign countries had the VEM vegetables, eggs and milk diet for vegetarians. He did not consider consuming chilli 'satvik' and thus suggested 'annahari' as an option. "As per my thinking, whatever we are eating apart from meat is 'anna' (food). I know it is not all-inclusive but I have found it best among the possible options," Gandhiji wrote.

ASHRAM HANDED OVER TO HARIJAN SEVAK SANGH

On March 12, 1930, Gandhiji and his associates left the Sabarmati Ashram on the Dandi March, vowing not to return until India attained Swaraj. The population of the ashram dwindled considerably by 1932. When the government seized the property, Gandhiji asked it to forfeit the ashram. The government did not oblige so Gandhiji decided to dedicate the ashram to Harijan service. On July 22, 1933, exactly 16 years after its establishment, the ashram was formally disbanded. The ashram inmates first stayed at the residence of Anasuya Sarabhai and then joined different ashrams inspired by Gandhian thought.

BAPU BRIGADE: STARS BEHIND THE STALWARTS

Apart from luminaries of the Indian freedom struggle and stalwarts such as Vinoba Bhave, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, Imam Bawazeer, Mahadev Desai, Dadasaheb Mavalankar, the ashram also attracted Indians and foreigners who were enamored by Gandhiji's movement and mission.

Maganlal Gandhi: Gandhiji's nephew had designed and supervised the construction of the Sabarmati Ashram. Following Gandhiji since his South Africa days, he efficiently managed all the ashram activities. Gandhiji was grooming him to be his heir. When Maganlal died in 1928, Gandhiji had famously remarked, "I have been widowed."Maganlal's residence at the ashram, the Magan Nivas, has been converted into the Charkha Museum. That is fitting because Maganlal had introduced innovations to the spinning wheel.

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100 years of Bapu's timeless idea - Times of India

The Hindu

KTR and officials visit Sabarmati Ashram , River Front in Ahmedabad The Hindu Mr. Rao along with a delegation comprising Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, Secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Navin Mittal and others visited the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi spent a good part of his life and ... My fight is based on Gandhiji's principles: Meira Kumar at Sabarmati AshramThe Indian Express PM Narendra Modi visits Sabarmati Ashram, says it enlightened human raceEconomic Times Meira Kumar begins with her election campaign from Sabarmati AshramThe Indian Wire Firstpost -Zee News all 1,038 news articles »

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KTR and officials visit Sabarmati Ashram , River Front in Ahmedabad - The Hindu

Summary: IT & Textiles Minister K T Rama Rao, who is on Gujarat tour, today made a visit to Sabarmati Ashram of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. Later he tweeted that he was privileged to visit and experience Mahatmas Ashram at Sabarmati. Gandhiji was a very simple man and spent a glorious life, KTR said. He also addressed a round table conference later along with Union Textiles Minister Smrithi Irani and Chandrababu Naidu. It is great honour to visit Gandhijis Sabaramthi Ashram, the minister stated.

IT & Textiles Minister K T Rama Rao, who is on Gujarat tour, today made a visit to Sabarmati Ashram of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. He also visited a Museum at the Ashram and had a glance of it besides taking a photograph at the Charkha that was used by Mahatma Gandhi. It is great honour to visit Gandhijis Sabaramthi Ashram, the minister stated.

KTR interacted with some students on the occasion. Gandhiji was a very simple man and spent a glorious life, KTR said. Later he tweeted that he was privileged to visit and experience Mahatmas Ashram at Sabarmati. What a simple man and what a glorious life Gandhiji had, he tweeted. It may be mentioned here that the minister, accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu while visiting Telangana Textile Stall during a Textile India Expo at Gujarat on Friday.

Source: http://www.siasat.com/news/privileged-visit-gandhi-ashram-ktr-1206508/

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Privileged to visit Gandhi Ashram: KTR - NYOOOZ

Iron is crucial because women build up blood volume during pregnancy, and deficiencies can lead to anemia, which increases the risk of having a low birthweight baby, and increases the risk of preterm labor and delivery, explained Dr. Clark, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Expecting women need double the iron a woman who isnt pregnant needs, according to A.C.O.G. So during pregnancy, vegetarians and vegans should take special care to eat plenty of iron-rich foods, like dried beans and peas and fortified cereals. Because the iron in plant-based foods is not as easily taken up by the body as the iron from meat, you should cook them, soak them or eat them with foods high in vitamin C to increase absorption, said Susan Levin, the director of nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy group that promotes a plant-based diet. Prune juice is also high in iron. Ms. Levin said shed encourage any pregnant woman to take the prenatal vitamin and focus on iron-rich foods such as spinach, lentils, beets and raisins.

B vitamins, including vitamin B12 and folic acid, are also critical in pregnancy. Vitamin B12 is not found in plants, but its in tofu, soy milk, some cereals and nutritional yeast, which some vegans eat as a cheese substitute. Folic acid prevents neural tube defects to the spine and brain, which occur in the first month of pregnancy, so the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that any woman of childbearing age take a daily supplement of folic acid of 400 micrograms daily, at least.

Being deficient both in vitamin B12 and folic acid has been shown to further increase the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects, Dr. Clark said. Physicians often advise women to take prenatal vitamins, which usually contain iron, vitamin B12, folic acid and other nutrients.

Not eating meat during gestation may even have upsides. A vegetarian diet in the first trimester was linked to a lower risk of excessive gestational weight gain, a 2010 study found. Furthermore, Ms. Levin said, Maternal diets high in plant foods may reduce risk of complications, including gestational diabetes. This includes both vegetarians and meat-eaters who eat a lot of vegetables during pregnancy, she said.

Still, pregnancy can throw curve balls, and not all women are able to continue on a vegetarian or vegan diet. When Dr. Clark discovered she was carrying twins, she was transitioning to a vegan diet after a year of vegetarianism but almost immediately experienced severe nausea and gastroesophageal reflux and lost her appetite. I couldnt look at salad or anything green, she said.

The only foods that she could stomach turned out to be mashed potatoes, eggs and chicken. I broke my vegetarian diet because I needed my babies to grow, she said. Being underweight can be just as detrimental to a pregnancy as being overweight.

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Can You Have a Healthy Vegetarian or Vegan Pregnancy? - New York Times

Anthony has accepted a personal challenge to go Vegan, not only to eat more healthy, but to feel better & have more energy through the day!

Anthony Slaughter, KSDK 4:14 PM. CDT June 30, 2017

I decided to go Vegan this week after watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix called, 'What the Health.' After watching the documentary, I felt compelled to change my diet -- in a big way!

I usually would eat fast food at least five times a week and would consume very little vegetables, if any, in a given day. I work out about three to five times a week and have always been skinny, but skinny doesnt always mean healthy.

Working the morning shift, I would find myself struggling to stay awake throughout the entire day, even after I nap, I would still be tired. I felt like no matter what I was trying nothing was helping with the always sleepy feeling. So I decided to change my diet.

Never being a fan of vegetables, I knew if I was going to give this a shot, I was going to have to find a way to keep this fun and exciting. Basically, Ive got to find ways to keep what Im eating, tasting good! Good, would be key!

So, I have accepted the personal challenge to go Vegan, not only to eat more healthy, but to feel better and have more energy through the day!

While not fully there yet, Im in transition, still eating turkey and fish, but eventually hope to convert completely.

To follow my journey, you can follow me on my Facebook page.

2017 KSDK-TV

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BLOG: Anthony Slaughter's vegan journey - KSDK (blog)

Declare your independence from boring (and not-so-kind) slabs of meat, and try out some fresh new (and oh-so-kind) red, white, and blue vegan recipes that will have your Fourth of July soire shining bright like a sparkler.

If youre asked to bring cookies, you could go for classic chocolate chipor you could make The Veg Lifes show-stopping Independence Day Tri-Color Cookies, which will guarantee that youll be taking home an empty dish.

For a fresh take on salsa, toss some tofu on the grill and serve it with Fatfree Vegan Kitchens tangy, sweet, and fiery Blueberry-Peach Salsa.

And classic fruit is made cute with Sweet Simple Vegans watermelon pizza.

Chili cook-off on the agenda? Vegan Insanity has your ace-in-the-bowl: Smoky Barbecue Chili with Vegan Sour Cream and blue corn chips.

Win the official grill master title with red-and-blue burgers. VegKitchens Beet and Brown Rice Burgers deliver fun on a bun.

No pool at the party? Cool off with Blueberry Coconut Popsicles from our friends at Beaming Baker

or with Patriotic Fruit Pops from Sweet Simple Vegan.

For easy-peasy kid-friendly snacks, steal this idea for patriotic Grilled Granola from The Big Mans World (try it with the new I Cant Believe Its Not Butter spread, Its Vegan)

or this one for berry and cashew-cream parfaits in mason jars from Vegan Insanity.

And get the kids involved in meal prep by letting them help make fun, simple desserts such as PETAs Red, White, and Blue Rice Crispy Treats

or Four-Ingredient Berry Tarts.

Surprise your friends and family by saying that youll bring the pulled-pork sandwiches. And surprise them again with these beauties from Minimalist Baker, which get their stringy texture courtesy of lentils and shredded carrots and their flavor from barbecue sauce and a sprinkle of spices. (We may have cheated a little on the red, white, and blue theme with this one, but the taste makes up for the quasi-blueness.)

If youre the lucky duck who draws the easiest cookout dish assignment everthe vegetable platemake it one to remember (quasi-blueness aside). Five-Minute Macadamia Cheese is the star of Minimalist Bakers Vegan Cruditand you may even win over the I cant live without cheese crowd.

See more great cookout ideas for a four-star Fourth of July, and raise your forks to liberty and justice for all.

If these recipes look great to you, why not make a pledge to go vegan? Already vegan? Order a free vegan starter kit for a friend today.

Order a Vegan Starter Kit for a Friend!

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Red, White, and Blue-tiful: Pretty Vegan Dishes Fit for the Fourth - PETA (blog) (press release)