The success of The Engine 2 Diet has The Texas Beef Council so scared that they are giving away beef to local Austin firehouses hoping to turn the tide.
I have been following (with great pleasure) the saga of Engine 2 as it has grown from a local success story to a full-blown movement. More and more, people are seeing for themselves the benefits of a plant strong diet -- for themselves, the animals, and the entire planet.
It was only a matter of time before the beef industry cranked up their PR machine to defend their turf. Their first move? A letter to local Austin firehouses accompanied by pre-cooked brisket and other assorted beef-related swag. Thanks to our good friends at Vegans Rock Austin! for sharing this little gem:
Texas Beef Council
Dear Firehouse No.12,
On behalf of the 150,000 beef producers across the state, The Texas Beef Council would like to thank you for serving and protecting our community. In addition, in light of the recent book, "The Engine 2 Diet", we want to provide you ,as key influencers in the community, with the most accurate, science-based information on lean beef.
Included with this letter are grilling tools, an ultimate grilling guide, and some nutritional info about beef. Many Americans continually receive mixed messages about beef nutrition. As an industry founded on science, Texas' beef producers promote lean beef in the context of an overall healthy diet including all of the food groups recommended in the USDA dietary guidelines for Americans and the food guide pyramid. <.....more b.s. mentioning the AHA ,29 kinds of lean cuts of beef, and how we need all the amino acids, blah, blah... I'm too tired to type it all........>
Also included with this letter is a lean, fully cooked brisket from H.E.B. We hope the firefighters at firehouse no.!@ will enjoy a nutritious lean beef meal on behalf of Texas Beef Producers. You are our local heroes and we want to honor you and thank you for all you do.
Best Regards,
Stacy Bates, R.D.
Nutrition Manager
Texas Beef Council
This is a good reminder that there is a lot of money on the line here. There are too many people making too much money from selling this cruel and unhealthy cuisine to expect them to just fade away.
Take Action
We have to counteract Big Beef's misinformation with hard facts. The most important thing you can do is to get informed.
- Read The Engine 2 Diet. It is a fast, easy read and it lays out the realities of what the Standard American Diet has done to the health of our country.
- Watch A Delicate Balance (you can view it online for $5). It covers the health and environmental issues in a clear and engaging way, and it features most of the leading medical and scientific minds in the field (including Rip's dad).
- Read The China Study. It distills the results of "the most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease."
To be the best advocate you can be for animals, you need to be prepared to answer the tough questions people are sure to ask you when you propose that they consider a vegan diet.
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I like Earnest's idea - "Big Bad Beef"....maybe we could come up with a letter of our own or some pre-printed literature about the health risks of meat eating or the major benefits of a vegan diet (or both) and send or drop off to our local fire stations along with a good cook book or basket of fruits and veggies or even just ingredients for one recipe or just a box of veggie burgers or something. I know we don't have the budget to do it in a big way but maybe if each of us gathered phone numbers/addresses from the areas we live in, write them on small bits of paper and draw one location every month or every other month. I would pitch in to buy foods/book/ingredients etc.
Good Lord! Well I was wondering when they would get their pantys in a real ruffle...all the commercials etc. They must be hurting - that is good. Too bad some people are fools for "free" stuff. Eric heard the interview with the author of the Engine 2 Diet on NPR and he became vegetarian in January and has been doing great since. He has been watching a lot of his great musical heros go down from heart attacks and diabetes etc. - and that's certainly NOT very sexy rock'n'roll!
Thank you so much for posting about the benefit for the Austin Zoo...and for keeping abreast of any new gluten-free vegan fare. BTW - do you have any recordings of your band? I'd love to hear your music : )
this story was outrageous. it means the beef council is paying attention to all the bad PR they get. they have so much money and influence but there is nothing more powerful than the people declaring their independence from this disgusting market we have.
Hmmm...I think we should always use the term "bad beef" or "big coronary beef" when referring to beef. Just a thought.
Thanks, Errol and VRA, for bringing this important story to our attn. You can find the CHINA STUDY at BookPeople, as well as the Engine 2 Diet.
For more info on Engine 2 Diet go to www.theengine2diet.com.
What I find galling about the letter mentioned in this post is this sentence: "You are our local heroes and we want to honor you and thank you for all you do." BY SENDING THEM BEEF???!!! How about starting a foundation for firefighters and their families to send their kids to college? Or, how about sending get well wishes to injured firefighters? Second, the Texas Beef Council sent nothing to Austin Police Dept to honor them for being local heroes. This is another way for the bee...er, bad beef industry to protect it's product, regardless of whether eating it is bad for you. This has nothing nothing nothing to do with honoring firefighters.
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