Friday, February 25, 2011

MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Vegans and Vegetarians: The Toughest Guys in the World Prove that Meatless Diets Superior and Equal Strength and Success

One VEGAN fighter is a Season 6 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” and is a King of the Cage World Champion.

This is by far one of the best articles of recent on the benefits of a meatless diet in intense sports. And, what other sport is more intense than MMA?

As stated in the article below, in terms of meatless fighters, “The list includes the next challenger for Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight title, Jake Shields, Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, and two former Ultimate Fighter winners, Nate Diaz and Mac Danzig.” I need to add Jon Fitch (as you’ll read below.)

I think you get my point.

One fighter, Jake Shields grew up on a vegetarian household: “I’ve been this way all my life,” said Shields, 32, who faces St. Pierre on April 30 in Toronto on a show that has already sold out the 55,000-seat Rogers Centre. “I’ve got nothing to compare it to. The only thing is, nobody can train as hard or as long as me and Nick Diaz, so that seems to indicate something.”

Hell yeah.

Next is Mac Danzig (website - http://www.macdanzig.net/), one of my personal heroes. Much like myself, he wasn’t afraid to change his lifestyle after he learned the truth behind the cruelty of meat. For those who do not know, Mac Danzig is the Season 6 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” yes, the WINNER….GET IT??!! Oh yeah, did I mention that he also is a King of the Cage World Champion?

As stated below, “Danzig ponders about people with pets who know of the often inhumane conditions animals raised for food are subjected to. “I don’t understand how anyone can have an animal in their life and know what is going on and contribute to it,” Danzig said. “You don’t need any kind of animal products to be an athlete in this day and age.” Danzig came upon the vegetarian diet differently from Fitch and the Diaz brothers, who did it for their sport. He cites being on a farm at 13 and seeing a truck taking pigs to slaughter, making eye contact with a pig on the way to its death, and the moment having a profound effect on him.”

OK, so my point is made. Now, read the article below.

Also, for those looking for meatless diet advice on intense training, here are two good articles:
UFC Fighter Mac Danzig's Vegan Diet at http://www.mikemahler.com/articles/macdanzig.html provides an incredible article by Mac Danzig where he lists clearly vegan diet guide.

And, an incredible article that goes over the diet of Jake Shields and some on Jon Fitch: A look at vegetarian fighters’ diets at http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-diets021711

Article:

Vegetarianism all the rage in MMA

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=Au3BvGeMksZhQzdznSXRIcs9Eo14?slug=dm-mmavegetarians021711

By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports

SAN JOSE, Calif. – When Jon Fitch signed his first contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2005, the former Purdue University wrestling captain could suddenly afford to eat whatever he wanted.

That meant meat. Lots of it.

“I would eat three meals a day with meat, and meat was the main part of every meal,” said Fitch, who is preparing for his biggest fight in years on Feb. 26 in Sydney, Australia against B.J. Penn in UFC 127. “I’d eat two steaks for dinner almost every night.”

Jon Fitch has dropped meat from his diet as he prepares for his UFC 127 main event against B.J. Penn.
(Getty Images)
Fitch, considered by most either the No. 2 or No. 3 welterweight in the world, grew up in the meat-and-potatoes Midwest in Fort Wayne, Ind. When he went to college, meat became an even bigger dietary staple.

“My mother would make meat and sides, but in college, I was always in a hurry, so cooking meat was quick and easy, and there were a lot less sides,” he said. “I lived off the George Foreman Grill.”

But after college and before signing with the UFC, meat became a luxury. As a small-show fighter living in expensive San Jose, he had to survive on a budget of $800 a month, which didn’t get him very far.

Ramen noodles were in. High-priced animal flesh was out.

But in his training for the Penn fight, Fitch has come full circle. The top welterweight has joined a growing number of MMA stars who have committed to a vegetarian diet.

The list includes the next challenger for Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight title, Jake Shields, Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, and two former Ultimate Fighter winners, Nate Diaz and Mac Danzig.

Shields, whose parents are vegetarians, grew up on a meatless diet, never wavered, and is in large part the catalyst for the trend.

Related: Check out Jake Shields’ diet

He influenced training partner Nick Diaz. Nate Diaz, Nick’s younger brother, followed in Nick’s footsteps. Fitch, based in San Jose, and Shields, who lives nearby in San Francisco, have trained together in the past.

“I’ve been this way all my life,” said Shields, 32, who faces St. Pierre on April 30 in Toronto on a show that has already sold out the 55,000-seat Rogers Centre. “I’ve got nothing to compare it to. The only thing is, nobody can train as hard or as long as me and Nick Diaz, so that seems to indicate something.”

Diaz, 27, turned to a vegetarian diet as a teenager. Unlike Shields and Fitch, who live in the upscale Bay Area, Diaz lives in working-class Stockton, Calif. This means his diet require a substantial commitment, as he noted he has to load up on groceries when he goes to train with the likes of Shields in San Francisco, an hour away from his home.

Frequent shopping and constant eating are a necessity in balancing the vegetarian lifestyle and high-level professional fighting, because foods with no preservatives spoil quickly, and maintaining weight and strength are necessary.

“I try to keep my diet all organic,” said Diaz. “It’s healthier. You recover faster. Nobody trains as hard as we do.” With plenty of vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco, Shields eats out several times per week.

Shields noted the only time his diet became difficult was when he was in Strikeforce and bounced back and forth between welterweight and the 185-pound welterweight class. When he competed at the higher weight class, he sometimes had to force himself to eat seven or eight times a day to add the extra weight.

At the top level of MMA, particularly for main-event caliber UFC fighters, a good deal of travel is required, which can be a particular challenge to those with vegetarian needs.

Fitch went to Sydney several weeks ago for a media tour to promote UFC 127, and will leave more than a week in advance of his fight to get acclimated to the substantial time change.


Jake Shields is a lifelong vegetarian. His biggest dietary challenge is finding good eats on the road.
(Getty Images)
“Eating there won’t be a problem,” Fitch said. “I was there in December and scouted out places for the week of the fight.”

Shields spent last week in Toronto in promotion of his fight. He’s fought all over the world and noted having problems finding good places to eat on fight week in some cities.

Early in his career, Shields fought frequently in Japan, which was a struggle, because so much of the Japanese diet is fish-based, and he didn’t speak the language. Shields said at times he didn’t eat as well as he would have liked in the days leading to a fight, and didn’t feel his best. Even with the challenge, Shields only lost one fight while competing in Japan.

Husband-and-wife team

Fitch’s transformation to vegetarianism came about in large part to the influence of his wife Michele. He noted that Shields, who has won 15 consecutive fights, helped sway his decision.

And he couldn’t be happier with the changes.

“In every kind of testing to see where I’m at, strength, speed, conditioning, I’m either right at or well ahead of the best marks I’ve ever had at this stage of training,” Fitch said. “A few weeks ago, we were concerned I was peaking too fast. I’d kick the [expletive] out of myself at the same stage of training for any of my previous fights.”

Fitch, who turns 33 on Feb. 24, is now about 183 pounds. As a welterweight fighter, his weigh-in weight is 170. Most modern welterweights range from 185 pounds as their regular weight before cutting down, to as much as 210 pounds for somebody like Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Fitch was on the upper end of that scale for years. But two weeks before the Penn fight, he was about five pounds lighter at the same stage as he would have been for his last few fights.

“The biggest thing is better recuperation from training,” Fitch said. “I don’t have the days where I came in flat. It’s made for the best training camp of my career.”

If anything seems like a negative with Fitch in regard to his change, it’s that he has to constantly eat or he will lose too much weight.

Both Fitch and Shields augment their diets with frequent protein shakes. Fitch has limited his supplementation to plant-based protein of late, and is also using amino acids as a supplement. Shields uses supplements supplied by his sponsor, usually soy- or whey-based, but sometimes milk-based protein.

Neither fighter is vegan. Fitch said during his Penn camp he has been eating fish about once a week, although he went three straight weeks at one point with no animal products. Besides his milk-based protein powder, Shields regularly eats eggs.

“I used to get pressured to eat meat when I was younger by [amateur wrestling] coaches,” said Shields. “But I was successful in sports, so they started leaving me alone.”

Fitch’s transformation was gradual, stemming from when Michele read “Skinny Bitch,” a diet book by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin that advocated a vegan lifestyle and focused on unhealthy aspects of eating meat.

“Before UFC 100, she went on a vegan diet and started feeling better,” said Fitch. “Prior to my fight with Paulo Thiago [during the summer of 2009], I went to a more organic diet. I cut back to eating meat three times a week, limited to an eight-ounce steak or poultry, and started eating more fruits and vegetables. In two weeks, I noticed a big difference in training. I had a much easier weight cut and recovered from it better. So I kept it up.”

Fitch read “Skinny Bastard,” the male counterpart to” Skinny Bitch,” by the same authors, as well as “The China Study,” a research project collaboration among Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, which examined diseases and lifestyles in rural China. The study showed people who ate the most animal-based protein had more chronic illnesses, and people who ate mostly plant-based foods were the healthiest and lived the longest.

Fitch credits his wife for his ability to pull off his dietary experiment because she handles the shopping and food preparation.

“We’re a real team,” he said. “With all the food I have to eat to maintain weight on this diet, she is constantly cooking and preparing things.”

“He eats nonstop,” said Michele Fitch. “Particularly at night. I wake up in the morning and the snack tray is empty.”

Fitch gets home most nights from his evening workout at about 9:30 p.m. and eats dinner at 10. He will eat another light meal before going to bed around midnight.

“After his evening workout, he has a spinach noodle dish with spinach, zucchini, garlic, onions, olive oil and sometimes mushrooms – his Popeye meal,” she said. “All meals contain a variety of fruits.”

The Fitches don’t measure portions, but Michele Fitch said the goal for Jon is a three-to-one ratio between fruits and protein, with the goal of getting 90 grams of protein daily.

“The average person needs 60 grams, but with all the intense training, I have to keep my strength up,” he said.

For Danzig, a matter of principle

Danzig, 31, the Season 6 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” as a welterweight, even though he normally fights at lightweight, turned vegetarian full-time in 2004.

With his stint on the reality show and public advocacy for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, he’s more vocal about the vegetarian lifestyle than other fighters.

Danzig ponders about peoople with pets who know of the often inhumane conditions animals raised for food are subjected to.

“I don’t understand how anyone can have an animal in their life and know what is going on and contribute to it,” Danzig said. “You don’t need any kind of animal products to be an athlete in this day and age.”

Danzig came upon the vegetarian diet differently from Fitch and the Diaz brothers, who did it for their sport. He cites being on a farm at 13 and seeing a truck taking pigs to slaughter, making eye contact with a pig on the way to its death, and the moment having a profound effect on him.

Danzig worked at an animal sanctuary in Pennsylvania at the age of 20 and met people who felt strongly about not eating meat. He was a vegan for a year, but gave it up when he started training as a full-time fighter, believing he would need animal protein to have enough strength to compete at the top level. But after reading up on the subject, he felt he could go without any animal products and be successful, so he reverted back to veganism.

Fitch raves about the health and performance benefits of his new lifestyle. But he doesn’t consider it a moral matter. He noted after his fight with Penn, he’s planning on eating a steak.

“The thing is, steak tastes great.”

Canadian Annual Seal Killing Begins on Nova Scotia's Hay Island: Canada Loves Killing Defenseless Seals in Barbaric Ways

Yep, this is still going on. Of course, fueled by the uncaring nations of China and Japan. Read about how China and Japan fuel the seal killing at - http://geari.blogspot.com/2011/01/eu-ban-on-seal-products-from-canada.html

To learn more about the annual Canadian seal slaughter, visit the Sea Shepherd page for seals at http://www.seashepherd.org/seals/

Article:

Sealers, anti-hunt activists reach N.S. island as grey seal hunt gets underway

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/sealers-anti-hunt-activists-reach-n-island-grey-20110224-065057-695.html

By The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – Thu, 24 Feb, 2011 10:21 AM EST

A female grey seal moves over thin ice near the shore in Canso, N.S. in this Jan. …

SYDNEY, N.S. - The grey seal hunt on Nova Scotia's Hay Island got underway Thursday as the weather improved enough to allow hunters, anti-hunt activists and fisheries officers to set out.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed that all had arrived on the tiny outcrop of rock off eastern Cape Breton.

The department has set a quota of 1,900 animals.

Humane Society International/Canada issued a statement shortly after the hunt began, condemning federal and provincial officials for allowing it to happen in a designated wilderness area.

"What we witnessed is a crime against nature," said Rebecca Aldworth, the society's executive director. "One of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth has just been turned into a killing field."

The society is calling on Ottawa to implement a one-time buyout of the commercial sealing industry and to invest in economic alternatives including ecotourism.

Alaska Continues Aerial Hunting (Killing) of Wolves: What You Can Do

“Since 2003, Alaska's aerial hunting program has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 wolves”

All I can say is that we might actually have a chance now that the evil animal-hating Sarah Palin quit as governor. So, please read below or follow this link and act. http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=3&campaign=WolfAerialHunting&origin=ARS_FACE_FAN_ADGROUP_TAKEACTION_AERIALWOLF_0223_CTG

Help Us End Alaska's Aerial Wolf Slaughter

Urge Alaska Governor Sean Parnell to end the state's unfounded aerial wolf-killing program
19,280 signatures sent on 4/6. Please continue to support this important cause by signing if you haven't already. Thank you! http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=3&campaign=WolfAerialHunting&origin=ARS_FACE_FAN_ADGROUP_TAKEACTION_AERIALWOLF_0223_CTG

Sponsored by: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

Since 2003, Alaska's aerial hunting program has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 wolves. During these hunts, wolves are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank. Sign the petition below and urge Alaska Governor Sean Parnell to end the state's irresponsible and cruel aerial wolf-killing program immediately.

Dead Infant Dolphins Begin Washing Up On Gulf Coast Shores: More Devastation from the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Explosion

Yeah, most people believe that this is all over. Well, don’t be as dumb as the average person. Of course it’s not over! Crude oil is not supposed to be floating in ocean water and of course it will kill life.

What else can I say?

Article:

Baby Dolphins Found Dead on Gulf Coast

Two Dozen Washed Ashore on Alabama and Mississippi Coastlines

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/dead-dolphins-found-washed-ashore-gulf-coast/story?id=12980701

MIAMI, Feb. 23, 2011

A tide of dead infant dolphins has washed ashore
along a 100-mile stretch of the Alabama and
Mississippi coastlines in the past two weeks, and
marine experts today said they believe last summer's
Gulf oil spill may be to blame.

A total of 24 of the young dolphins been found dead
in the last couple weeks, including five in the past 24
hours. Marine mammal researchers fear it will only
get worse.

"I believe this is very very unusual what we're dealing
with. It's a tenfold increase in calves that are dying,"
Moby Solangi, the head of the Mississippi based
Institute for Marine Mammal Research, told ABC News.
"Every year, we get one or two babies that die. Now,
we're seeing stillborn, or preemies dying."

"With some, we're not sure if they actually took a
breath," said Dr. Delphine Shannon, also of the IMMR.

The gestation period for bottlenose dolphins is
between 11 and 12 months. "That means the mothers
would have conceived between March and May. If the
mothers are delivering their calves now and many are
dying, that is significant," Solangi said.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20,
unleashing a torrent of 200 million gallons of oil into
the Gulf of Mexico -- the largest spill in American
history. At one point the spill covered about 70,000
square miles.

Solangi couldn't directly link the two events but fears
that the animals could have "ingested something that
may have affected their reproduction."

Solangi and his team say there's a chance this could
be an anomaly. "But in my 30 years of studying
dolphins I have never seen anything like this. This is
highly unusual."

The Unrest in Egypt, Etc. Has Had a Very Negative Effect on Non-Human Animals: Starving Horses, Etc. What You Can Do

As expected, the unrest in Egypt, etc. has had a very negative effect on non-human animals. And, of course, most of the people there don’t care.

So, again, I don’t support one group over another, but this appears to be the only group helping at this point. Please visit https://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_united_states/donate_now/egypt.php?msource=DR110215006#x to find out how you can help.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Video Serves as Undeniable Proof that Michael Vick Literally Does Not Care About the Dogs he Tortured, Killed and Abused: Watch it for Yourself!

I’ll make this short and sweet. As I’ve always said, video and photo can speak way more than the written word. And, you cannot deny video evidence. Well, here we go again, and this time, it once again proves that Michael Vick is still the slimy scum he was known as before and cares NOTHING about the dogs he tortured and abused.

As stated in the article at http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Vick-runs-into-controversy-confronta707tion-at-Dal?urn=nfl-318196 Sick Vick was confronted by radio reporter Richard Hunter at an event (the event in itself is unbelievable but I won’t get into that). Richard had adopted one of the dogs from the Bad Newz Kennels (aka, Michael Vick’s dog torture and abuse horror house). Richard attempted to get Vick to show some sympathy about the dog via holding up a photo. Well, as you’ll see in the video, that doesn’t happen.

NOT ONLY THAT: PAY ATTENTION TO THE VIDEO and you’ll hear one of Vick’s gansta’ thug hommies say they don’t care about the dog! Yes, he still hangs with thugs and they don’t care that you know they don’t care!

Just check it out either below or at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Ra0J-V7ZM





Tuesday, February 01, 2011

100 Healthy Sled Dogs Brutally Murdered by the Company Howling Dogs, Owned by Outdoor Adventures Whistler: “…blowing off half of the dog's head..."

“…blowing off half of the dog's head while it ran off, a dog crawling out of a mass grave..”

ADDED 2-7 - Here is a link to a petition to demand prosecution. Please visit and sign - http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/prosecute-for-the-senseless-slaughter-of-100-sled-dogs/

Sounds like what Michael Vick loved to do. He’d love this type of dog slaughter. I can only imagine the horror of this scene. We can only hope that the company Howling Dogs and the parent company Outdoor Adventures Whistler suffers immensely for this horror. But, it is cruel Canada, so I’m sure nothing will happen to them.

What needs to be noted here is that the parent company Outdoor Adventures Whistler admits that 100 dogs were killed. They know this and are OK with it. But, they’re lying about how it was done. Let me help them remember:

"I won't use the term euthanized, [which] implies a humane death, and I can say that based on his description, at least a number of dogs did not have a humane death. His descriptions of using a shotgun, blowing off half of the dog's head while it ran off, a dog crawling out of a mass grave, it just made me shudder," Moriarty said.

ADDED 2-2 - Here is a Facebook page to "like" that contains a lot of information including who to contact - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-for-the-100-Massacred-sled-dogs/189586164404759

Article:

Mass sled dog killing probed in B.C.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2011/01/31/bc-dog-mutilation.html

Last Updated: Monday, January 31, 2011 |

CBC News

British Columbia SPCA officers headed to Whistler Monday to investigate claims that 100 healthy sled dogs owned by a tourism operator were slaughtered.

The allegations are contained in a filing to WorkSafeBC, the provincial workers' compensation board.

According to a release from Outdoor Adventures Whistler, an employee of a company called Howling Dogs was compensated for post-traumatic stress after shooting 100 dogs in April 2010.

Outdoor Adventures Whistler acknowledges it had a financial stake in Howling Dogs at the time of the cull, but didn't take operational control of the company until May 2010.

The release says: "OAW was aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dogs in April 2010, but it was our expectation that it was done in a proper, legal and humane manner."

The man who was compensated hasn't been identified. Outdoor Adventures Whistler said he is no longer managing Howling Dogs. A new manager has been hired.

His lawyer, Corey Steinberg, said the man made every effort to find adoptive homes for the dogs. Steinberg told CBC News that when he wasn't successful, a group, including executives and the man, agreed euthanasia was the only choice for the sickest and oldest dogs in the pack.

"He just wanted the greatest happiness for the greatest number of dogs. He had to choose — 'Do I keep 200 dogs and make their lives great, or do I stick here with the 300 that I have?' And I'm being told by my employer, 'You deal with it, you figure it out, there's not really much more we can do for you,'" Steinberg said.

The general manager of cruelty investigations for the provincial SPCA, Marcie Moriarty, wonders why the company had so many dogs when it couldn't keep them healthy. She said the dogs appear to have died a horrible death.

"I won't use the term euthanized, [which] implies a humane death, and I can say that based on his description, at least a number of dogs did not have a humane death. His descriptions of using a shotgun, blowing off half of the dog's head while it ran off, a dog crawling out of a mass grave, it just made me shudder," Moriarty said.

Moriarty said investigators would try to locate the burial site and perform necropsies.

Outdoors Adventures Whistler told CBC News the incident is tragic and regrettable, and a new policy has been put in place to ensure all dogs are euthanized at a veterinarian's office.

The company also said it has implemented a neutering program for all male dogs to mitigate unwanted pregnancies in the pack.

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