Joe wrote:
> Hi... not being critical of your statement and I agree with most of
> what you commented on, but regarding bees, aren't many more-times more
> bees being given a chance at living a somewhat 'natural' life [in
> terms of free roaming/flying] by the existence of the industry [yes,
> I'm aware of the distress/deaths caused by the bee-handling methods]?
> Please, no venemous 'Usual Suspect' like responses to my remark-it's
> just my opinion.
> Also, one thing regarding the sweetener link... I was hoping to see
> more of what ingredients and nutrients/amounts are actually in their
> products and not just what's not in them. In the dialogue it says
> 'lacks refined sugars'-does that mean totally or to some degree?




You could write to Michael Gregor.

BTW, there's a declining population of honey bees in this nation from
all the use of pesticides.










>
> On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 13:13:52 GMT, Beach Runner > wrote:
>
>
>>Why Honey Is Vegan
>>By Michael Greger
>>
>>http://www.satyamag.com/sept05/greger.html
>>
>>All the Buzz Without the Bee
>>
>>What looks like honey, feels like honey, and tastes like honey?
>>Suzannes Specialities Just Like Honey Rice Nectar is just like
>>honey except for one thing€”it is bee-free. Thats right. This vegan
>>€œhoney€� simply astounded the Satya staff. Putting bees out of
>>business, this sweetener made from brown rice, chicory, and maple
>>syrups, reigns as the new taste of vegan.
>>
>>Gluten-free and GMO-free, this nectar is the perfect topping for
>>pancakes, waffles and oatmeal, and a delightful addition to tea. In
>>fact, long- time vegan, Roshni Koshy exclaimed that while shes
>>typically a coffee drinker, shes going to switch to drinking tea
>>just to flavor it with Just Like Honey. It lacks refined sugars and
>>is still better than any other sweetener. Winnie the Pooh wouldnt be
>>able to tell the difference and neither will you. Order online at
>>www.suzannes-specialties.com. €”S.I.
>>Honey hurts more than just bees. It hurts egg-laying hens, crammed in
>>battery cages so small they cant spread their wings. It hurts mother
>>pigs, languishing for months in steel crates so narrow they cant
>>turn around. And the billions of aquatic animals who, pulled from
>>filthy aquaculture farms, suffocate to death. All because honey hurts
>>our movement.
>>
>>Its happened to me over and over. Someone will ask me why Im
>>vegan€”it could be a new friend, co-worker, distant family, or a
>>complete stranger. I know I then have but a tiny window of
>>opportunity to indelibly convey their first impression of veganism.
>>Im either going to open that window for that person, breezing in
>>fresh ideas and sunlight, or slam it shut as the blinds fall. So I
>>talk to them of mercy. Of the cats and dogs with whom theyve shared
>>their lives. Of birds with a half piece of papers worth of space in
>>which to live and die. Of animals sometimes literally suffering to
>>death. I used to eat meat too, I tell them. Lots of meat. And I never
>>knew either.
>>
>>Slowly but surely the horror dawns on them. You start to see them
>>struggling internally. How can they pet their dog with one hand and
>>stab a piece of pig with the other? They love animals, but they eat
>>animals. Then, just when their conscience seems to be winning out,
>>they learn that we dont eat honey. And you can see the conflict
>>drain away with an almost visible sigh. They finally think they
>>understand what this whole €œvegan€� thing is all about. Youre not
>>vegan because youre trying to be kind or compassionate€”youre just
>>crazy! They smile. They point. You almost had me going for a second,
>>they chuckle. Whew, that was a close one. They almost had to
>>seriously think about the issues. They may have just been considering
>>boycotting eggs, arguably the most concentrated form of animal
>>cruelty, and then the thought hits them that youre standing up for
>>insect rights. Maybe they imagine us putting out little thimble-sized
>>bowls of food for the cockroaches every night.
>>
>>Im afraid that our public avoidance of honey is hurting us as a
>>movement. A certain number of bees are undeniably killed by honey
>>production, but far more insects are killed, for example, in sugar
>>production. And if we really cared about bugs we would never again
>>eat anything either at home or in a restaurant that wasnt strictly
>>organically grown€”after all, killing bugs is what pesticides do best.
>>And organic production uses pesticides too (albeit €œnatural€�).
>>Researchers measure up to approximately 10,000 bugs per square foot
>>of soil€”thats over 400 million per acre, 250 trillion per square
>>mile. Even €œveganically€� grown produce involves the deaths of
>>countless bugs in lost habitat, tilling, harvesting and
>>transportation. We probably kill more bugs driving to the grocery
>>store to get some honey-sweetened product than are killed in the
>>products production.
>>
>>Our position on honey therefore just doesnt make any sense, and I
>>think the general population knows this on an intuitive level.
>>Veganism for them, then, becomes more about some quasi-religious
>>personal purity, rather than about stopping animal abuse. No wonder
>>veganism can seem nonsensical to the average person. We have this
>>kind of magical thinking; we feel good about ourselves as if were
>>actually helping the animals obsessing about where some trace
>>ingredient comes from, when in fact it may have the opposite effect.
>>We may be hurting animals by making veganism seem more like petty
>>dogmatic self-flagellation.
>>
>>In my eyes, if we choose to avoid honey, fine. Lets just not make a
>>huge production of it and force everybody to do the same if they want
>>to join the club.
>>
>>Michael Greger, M.D. is a physician, vegan nutrition specialist, and
>>author of Carbophobia! The Scary Truth About Americas Low-Carb Craze
>>(Lantern). For more on the honey question, see Vegan Outreachs Vegan
>>Starter Pack Q&A at http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack/qa.html
>
>