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Pandemics – Are We Fuelling Them?
Watch this short clip from Sir David Attenborough’s Extinction: The Facts – that was shown on the BBC to get a quick look at what’s happening.
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Spaghetti Marinara with Vegan Meat Balls
Here is a delicious recipe that may convince you that the future of meat is vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 packet (450 g) cooked and drained whole wheat spaghetti
For the Marinara Sauce
- 1 kg tomatoes, chopped, with juice reserved
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Unrefined salt to taste
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped oregano (or 2 tsp dried oregano flakes)
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- ¼ cup tomato puree
For the Vegan Meat Balls
- 1 cup whole wheat flour or less
- 1 cup soy granules, soaked and drained
- 1 tsp dried sweet basil flakes
- 5 – 6 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ a red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tsp unrefined salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup water
Method
For the Marinara Sauce
Fry garlic & onion without oil in a heavy saucepan, over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, balsamic vinegar, pepper and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer on low heat, until the gravy thickens. Keep stirring occasionally. When well done, take off from heat.
For the Vegan Meat Balls
Combine soy granules, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the wheat flour and water. Now, add the wheat flour and water, a little at a time and mix until the mixture is thick enough and binds well to make the balls. Form meatballs with a cookie scoop or with hands. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 35 minutes at 350 °F (175 °C), in a pre-heated oven. Place the meatballs on spaghetti and serve topped with the marinara sauce.
Serves 4
Food for the mind
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FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP
If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant based journey. We are offering two possibilities
1. SHARAN India is SHARAN’s main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.
2. SHARAN’s Vegan Support Group is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.
All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.
Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.
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Long Term Changes that are required to stop this Pandemic and Prevent Future Pandemics
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that we are all connected. If one patient does not isolate, it’s more likely to spread. We all breathe the same air, drink the same water, and live on the same land. Covid-19 is not limited only to human beings, but has spread amongst animals in confinement too. Here are some of the changes that we can make to prevent future pandemics.
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1. Close all wet markets
It’s possible that Covid-19 emerged from wild animals in a wet market in Wuhan. Live animal markets are found all over the world where animals are kept in confinement and are stressed. They are likely to get diseases and if the disease causing organism jumps species we are likely to get it. In order to control Covid-19, China had initially ordered the closure of all wet markets.
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2. Close down factory farms
These farms, where stressed animals are kept in close confinement, can become focal points for an infection to spread. Examples of these are bird flu and swine flu. Factory farms are also a threat to the environment and pollute the air and water around, causing diseases. Their existence is naturally questionable, especially since the food produced also causes lifestyle diseases in human beings. More
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3. Re evaluate slaughterhouses and meat packing units
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Slaughterhouses are focal points as well, and meatpackers all over the world faced challenges since Covid-19 spread more here than in other industries. A part of the reason is that killing animals is not a coveted job. Many of the workers are poorly paid, and live in squalid conditions. But a big part of the reason is close confinement and the resultant stress. Various state governments have ordered the closure of meat shops during lockdown days. On the positive side more and more plant-based alternatives are available that can save both human and animal lives. Click here for Video
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4. Re-evaluate and close down zoos
Zoos, too have seen the spread of Covid-19 amongst animals – animals in captivity are naturally stressed, have low immunity, and the population density, too, can be too high in zoos. Several zoos, the world over, shut down during the pandemic in an effort to contain the spread. The very necessity of zoos is questionable considering the ethics of keeping any animal in captivity.
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5. Ban mink and fur farms
Mink farms around the world saw rises in Covid-19 since mink were susceptible to this disease. Like animals on factory farms these animals too are in close confinement, stressed and in large population. The ethics of exploiting animals for their skins is also questionable.
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6. Contain environmental degradation
Habitat for wild animals has been decreasing, thanks to deforestation and development. As wild animals come closer to human habitat there are more chances of diseases jumping from animals to humans. It is well known that climate change, a result of environmental degradation, is a greater threat to our species than the pandemic.
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7. Reduce population density
It’s no secret that densely populated areas have had more trouble containing the spread of this pandemic. New York, Mumbai, and Delhi are just a few of the cities that are stark examples of this. We do have an obligation to control our population for a future to be possible for everyone. More and more couples choose to be child free not just to reduce population density but also since they recognise that the future remains uncertain with pandemics and climate change.
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8. Build your immunity
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The healthier we are, the less likely we are to succumb to any pandemic. This is why SHARAN focuses on building a culture of health through whole, plant-based and organic nutrition.
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