Food Matters Study Group

UPCOMING MEETINGS

We hope you are faring well in the face of the challenges of our day – including, the nation’s departure from the Paris Climate Accords and its commitments to address climate change – that we believe magnifies the importance of our food choices.

We are pleased to announce the next meeting of the Food Matters study group will be held at All Souls:

• May 11 in the Forrest Church Gallery at 12:45 pm
• May 25 in the Forrest Church Gallery at 12:45 pm (for those who cannot attend the first meeting or wish to further explore the topics)

MEETING AGENDA

1. Comments on food-related questionnaire
We will open the floor for comments on the form of the draft questionnaire that follows this notice. When finalized and converted to a Google Forms format, the questionnaire would be sent to members of the congregation so that we can be responsive to the food-related issues, topics and events about which they are most interested.

2. Open forum
As time permits, we will open the floor for a general discussion of food-related matters or questions of special interest to attendees. We would welcome comments about:

• How your food choices currently (or may later) compare to Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate (see https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/healthy-eating-plate/)
• How your tastes may have evolved over time with particular reference to the appeal of plant-based eating and its effects upon your health

TIDBITS: FOOD IN THE NEWS

Harvard Researchers echo the Reverend’s Galen Guengerich’s call for reduced meat and dairy consumption
In language notably similar to Galen’s 2023 sermon on a “Simple Solution” to climate change (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgP5s8RPPBo&t=972s, beginning at 16:05), Harvard researchers recently completed a study that concluded that consuming “lots of whole plant foods and limited amounts of meat and dairy is a win-win—good both for you and for the planet”. The research found that eating so would “lower [the] risk of every major cause of death, including cancer, heart disease and lung disease [,and its] widespread adoption … would lead to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer needs, and cropland use”. (https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/planetary-health-diet-better-for-you-better-for-the-planet/)

Senator Cory Booker seeks to rationalize federal food policy
In a speech that inspired his audience, Senator Booker outlined how federal farm policy defers to the pecuniary interests of large multinational food corporations over the health and welfare of small farmers and consumers alike and encourages the production of unhealthy food products that harms Americans – especially in disadvantaged communities. He likened a growing movement of Americans to rationalize this system to the civil rights movement of the 20th century. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CANS6zVP0Kk)

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Please feel free to contact Kevin Billet should you have any thoughts or questions in the interim before our upcoming meeting.

Best,
Carolyn Jackson
Kevin Billet – 716 698-3166/kevinbillet@aol.com

QUESTIONNAIRE: WHAT FOOD MATTERS MATTER MOST TO YOU

If food matters to you, this questionnaire (and its citations to relevant primary source materials) may as well.

Whether from the pulpit of All Souls, the academics at world-renowned medical centers or the religions of the East, we hear a consistent message – eating more healthful plant-based foods and fewer animal products will benefit individual and planetary health and further animal welfare.

The Food Matters study group seeks to provide the information that congregants and others may find helpful in deciding a way of eating that fits with our understandings. We hope to invite professionals who can shed light on our food choices and help us communicate with our own medical providers before we make major changes in our eating.

Other events would include potluck meals where recipes would be shared and discussion groups formed over topics of common interest.

In order to best proceed, we would like to canvass the congregation to learn what topics and events would be of most interest. We hope you can find the time to complete and return the questionnaire.

I. PRESENTATIONS CONCERNING THE IMPACT OF FOOD CHOICES UPON PERSONAL HEALTH

A. The basics of coronary artery disease (“CAD”)
Marked by the narrowing of the arteries that deliver blood to the heart, CAD is the most common form of heart disease – our country’s leading cause of death – and is an illness of which sufferers are frequently unaware. (See https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24129-heart-disease and https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/disease-prevention/cardiovascular-disease/)

How likely would you be to attend a presentation from a cardiologist that would set out the key elements of this illness, laying the groundwork for a subsequent presentation on the effects of food choices upon this disease?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

B. The impact of food choices on CAD
The Journal of the American Heart Association has reported: “[H]igher intakes of plant foods and lower intakes of animal foods are associated with a lower risk of …. cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease mortality, and all‐cause mortality … .” (https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.012865)

How likely would you be to attend a presentation by a cardiologist or nutritionist that addresses how dietary choices impact the risk of coronary artery disease?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

C. The impact of food choices upon various other illnesses/conditions
Studies cited by prestigious medical centers show that plant-centric ways of eating may address other diseases and maladies, from diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease. (See https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-busting-plant-based-diet-myths/ and https://health.clevelandclinic.org/whole-food-plant-based-diet)

If you are interested in how eating more plants affects these condition(s), please indicate which presentation(s) you would likely attend.

Very likely to attend presentation(s) on:

• Diabetes
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Cancer
• Gut disorders
• Alzheimer’s (and cognitive) illness

Somewhat likely to attend presentation(s) on:

• Diabetes
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Cancer
• Gut disorders
• Alzheimer’s (and cognitive) illness

II. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSION FORUMS CONCERNING THE RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF FOOD CHOICES

A. Certain eastern traditions
Ahimsa is a term common to people practicing in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. It is a belief that animals should be treated with respect and not caused any pain or suffering. It guides the eating patterns of people practicing in those traditions and prohibits the consumption of meat of any kind, and sometimes fish and eggs or dairy.

If there were a program exploring these practices, how likely would you be to attend?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

B. Unitarian Universalism
The Unitarian Universalist Statement of Conscience on Ethical Eating, provides in part: “… What and how we eat has broad implications for our planet and society. Our values, Principles, and integrity call us to seek compassion, health, and sustainability in the production of food we raise or purchase.” (https://www.uua.org/lifespan/curricula/ethics/workshop2/191754.shtml)

How likely would you be to attend a discussion forum where attendees would discuss how their Unitarian Universalist faith affects how they eat?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

III. PRESENTATIONS CONCERNING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FOOD CHOICES

A. Environmental effects of food production
From Harvard: “[A] Planetary Health Diet [,that emphasizes healthy plant based foods but allows for minimum meat and dairy, is] associated with lower risk of premature death [and] lower environmental impact.” (https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/planetary-health-diet-associated-with-lower-risk-of-premature-death-lower-environmental-impact/)

If there were a program on the environmental effects of various kinds of food production (e.g., cattle ranching, sheep grazing, factory farming, overfishing, etc.), how likely would you be to attend such a presentation?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

B. Food waste and climate change
The EPA emphasizes the role of food waste upon climate change: “[W]hen food decomposes in a landfill, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is emitted. … Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S. and food waste is responsible for 58% of landfill emissions.” (https://www.epa.gov/recycle/preventing-wasted-food-home)

If there were a program on the impact of, and strategies to prevent, food waste, how likely would you be to attend such a presentation?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

IV. THE IMPACT OF FOOD CHOICES ON ANIMAL WELFARE AND HUMAN HEALTH

The Animal Law and Policy Program of the Harvard Law School has observed that “[t]here is growing global recognition that protecting animals, on farms and in the wild, is crucial to safeguarding our health”.

How likely would you be to attend a presentation addressing the interrelationship between the welfare of animals and of human health?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

V. GRASSROOTS ACTIONS

Senator Cory Booker argues that federal food policies encourage the production of unhealthy food that contributes profoundly to adverse human health outcomes – especially among the poor. He has likened the growing grassroots movement of Americans to rationalize these policies to the civil rights movement of the past. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CANS6zVP0Kk)

How likely would you be to attend a forum to discuss and consider the actions that interested congregants might take to create more rational and consumer friendly agricultural policies (whether contacting lawmakers, participating in demonstrations, informing fellow citizens of the issues at play or otherwise):

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely

VI. ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONS

A. Meeting format preference
Would you be more likely to attend a presentation in person or by zoom?

• In person
• By zoom
• No preference

B. Registration fee
Would you be willing to pay a small registration fee, which would begin at $5, in order to fund a small honorarium for speakers?

• Yes
• No

VII. PREPARATION OF VEGETARIAN DISHES

One member of the study group made an abrupt shift from animal to plant-based foods for health reasons and, despite his self-described modest cooking skills, has come to thoroughly enjoy his new way of eating, replete, as it is, with variation and delicious spices.

How likely would you be to participate in potluck food events, by which participants would prepare plant-based dishes and set out the recipes used so that others could best learn what dishes and tastes are most appealing for them?

• Very likely
• Somewhat likely
• Unlikely