Ramadan food traditions
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News & Events for Health Empowerment // April 12, 2023
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“Because of the natural increase in the world’s population, the gradual expansion in agriculture, and the continuing development of industry, mankind will be driven to vegetarianism in the not-too-distant future.”

— Ben-Zion Kit, writing in Lithuania in the 1930’s

 

During our Passover holiday, I found this prescient statement in an essay published in the Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook, one of many books gracing my in-laws’ shelves.

What astounds me is that, throughout the world, people have known for so long that an animal-based food system would not be sustainable in the long-term. This is not only due to the sheer volume of human demand but also because of the environmental impact of animal husbandry.

While Plant Powered Metro New York’s mission most often centers on human health, we must also take a stand for environmental health. Our personal and communal well-being are so deeply interwoven with that of the Earth:

🌱 On average, it takes more than 3 acres of land per year to feed an omnivore, but a vegan less than half an acre. Switching to a plant-based diet frees up calories in our food system to feed many more people directly, rather than animals.
🌱 Grazing livestock, and clear-cutting forests and rainforests to grow crops that feed animals, have contributed to devastating habitat loss, soil erosion, and the loss of biodiversity all over the globe.
🌱 Raising over 80 billion land animals for slaughter each year leads to a huge amount of animal waste which pollutes waterways and releases nitrous oxide — a powerful greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming our atmosphere.

 

The overwhelming focus of climate change dialogue — and the future of our Earth — centers on fossil fuel reduction. While this must be a priority, dramatically reducing animal agriculture is an unspoken yet perhaps even more powerful way of fundamentally reorienting our relationship with our planet, with people in developing nations, and with the animals who call this magical place home, too.

If you haven’t yet made plant-based nutrition part of your life, know that the Earth depends on each one of us to hasten change through how we eat. If you’re looking for inspiration to get going, or to deepen your connection to edible plants, join our outing to Ethos Farm the weekend of Earth Day — a PPMNY tradition — to get up close and personal with where our food is grown, and how we can treat the land with reverence as we grow nourishing foods.

 

In health,
Lianna Levine Reisner, Network Director

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Last chance for pre-purchased lunch!

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Urban Meets Rural: An Earth Day Summit at Ethos Farm
Sunday, April 23, 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM – Long Valley, NJ
Ethos Farm Project, 177 West Mill Road
$25-80 adult tickets, $15 child tickets
Register here by April 19, or by April 13 to pre-order lunch
Add-on options: $10 lunch and $25 round-trip bus ticket from Penn Station


Our unique encounter between urban and rural farmers in a day-long outing to an idyllic 342-acre farm in central New Jersey. Includes learning and activities centered on food-as-medicine, regenerative organic farming, sustainable food policy, and mindfulness. Bring the whole family!

Presented in partnership with Ethos Primary Care, Farm to People, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, and the Washington Heights/Inwood Food Council

 

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As we approach Women’s Health Month in May, Plant Powered Metro New York is offering support to
moms (before, during, and after pregnancy), their partners, caregivers of young children, and obstetric health professionals (doulas, midwives, and OB clinicians) through FREE four-week classes that blend motivational nutrition education with cooking instruction. 

Sponsored by the Allen Foundation, and built from the award-winning Food for Life nutrition and cooking classes created by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, these classes will demonstrate how to prepare delicious plant-based meals that can prevent and treat gestational and type 2 diabetes, naturally reduce blood pressure, help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight, and feed children for a healthy start.

Choose from an in-person class in East Harlem that starts next week (you’ll be able to taste the food!), or a virtual class starting in May. If you register, please plan to participate in all sessions!

 

Food for Life: The Power of Food for New & Expecting Parents

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In-Person:

Tuesdays, April 18 and 25, May 2 and 16,
3:00 - 5:00 PM
East Harlem Neighborhood Health Action Center
158 East 115th Street, New York, NY

¡Este programa se llevará a cabo en inglés pero también apoyará la participación de hispanohablantes!

Register here by April 13th // Regístrese aquí en español antes del 13 de abril

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Virtual:

Wednesdays, May 3 - 24
4:00 - 6:00 PM ET

Register here by April 26th

 

Would your organization like to host these same classes on-site? Thanks to grant funding, we can bring this program to you, virtually or in-person at NY metro area locations (NYC and surrounding counties). Contact Lynn Diamond, PPMNY Director of Community Education, for more information.

 

 

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5K Walk in Central Park
Sunday, April 16, 10:00 AM – Manhattan
Hosted by PPMNY’s Fitness Action Group
Suggested donation register here by Saturday, April 15


Put on your walking shoes for an energetic trek through Central Park with the PPMNY community! Meet up near the Pulitzer Fountain, next to the Plaza Hotel, across the street from Central Park.
 Everyone who attends will take home our new PPMNY drawstring backpacks!

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Cooking with Chef Carole
Sunday, April 16, 5:00 - 6:15 PM – Live on Facebook & YouTube
Suggested donation – register here for advance recipes


Ask anyone who eats a whole food, plant-based diet, and they’ll say that one secret to their success is… sauces! Learn many ways to flavor healthy plant foods in Chef Carole’s next virtual demo, featuring recipes without added salt, oils, or sugars.Cashew-Divider-Line.png

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Eating for Skin Health & Anti-Aging
Thursday, April 20, 6:30 - 7:30 PM – Hybrid: Upper West Side & Virtual
Presented with Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY
Pay-what-you-wish – register here


Did you know that whole food, plant-based nutrition is also good for your skin? Join us at JCC Manhattan or virtually, as Jessica Krant, MD, MPH, explores how gut health and skin health are deeply interconnected, and how a plant-based diet and a healthy lifestyle can slow the aging process. 

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Save the Date!

Nutrition Support Circle
Monday, April 24, 6:30 PM – Online

Plant-Based Nutrition and Men's Health
Thursday, April 24, 7:00 - 8:00 PM ET – Online
Open only to healthcare professionals.

Spring Social at Caravan of Dreams
Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 PM – East Village, Manhattan

Comedy for a Cause: A Plant Powered Metro NY Benefit
Tuesday, May 2, 7:00 PM VIP Hour, 8:00 PM Show – Upper West Side, Manhattan


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“During Ramadan, Muslims fast from food and drink between dawn and sunset daily. Though the fast demands commitment physically, it also replenishes us spiritually, in particular nurturing humility and gratitude. In today’s hyper-industrialized world, we’ve become incredibly disconnected from our food; we rarely play any role in growing it, so it becomes easy to discount the miraculous forces required to cultivate it. Eating a whole-food, plant-based diet can reinvigorate this awareness: the food is as close to its original form as possible, bursting with color and flavor directly from the earth, bringing to mind God’s power and grace.” — Sara Zayed, NYU Medical Student

 

Ramadan-2.png  The month of Ramadan begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. At sunset, families break their fast with iftar, traditionally opening the meal by eating dates to commemorate Muhammad's practice of breaking the fast with three dates.


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Have you heard the news? PPMNY is teaming up with Jewish Veg this May to present our 21-Day Plant Powered Jumpstart for the Jewish community! We extend our gratitude to the Ancowitz and Kanner families who sponsored this program in memory of Arthur Ancowitz, MD, a pioneer in disease prevention through diet and lifestyle.

Registration is open now through April 30th, and the program starts on May 3rd. Head over to Jewish Veg’s website for more details. Sign up as an individual, or join as a group affiliated with a Jewish communal organization or synagogue. Questions? Reach out to jumpstart@ppmny.org and/or jodi@jewishveg.org.

 

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