PETA urges Spears to change her diet

By Beth Hilton,

Animal rights group PETA has suggested that Britney Spears' recent troubles are a result of her diet.

The organisation's president Ingrid Newkirk has urged Jamie and Lynne Spears to monitor their daughter's eating habits because they could be contributing to her reported bipolar disorder.

She wrote in a letter: "We have heard that Britney asked for ice-cream while she was in the hospital. There could in fact be a connection between her diet and her mental health problems.

"Numerous reports indicate that in bipolar patients who have hidden dairy sensitivities (a fairly common condition), the disorder can worsen if the patient consumes dairy products."

She added: "A significant body of research... has linked parasites that are often found in undercooked meat (Toxoplasma gondii) to the development of schizophrenia."

Newkirk then suggested that Spears should switch to a vegan diet, saying: "[While] it might very well benefit Britney's mental health, it would undoubtedly benefit her physical health."

PETA Urges Oklahoma City Mayor to Shed Pounds by Dumping Meat

Contact:Bruce Friedrich 757-622-7382

Oklahoma City - After learning that Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett is encouraging residents to lose weight by setting up a Web site where people can sign up to track their weight loss, PETA has sent the mayor a letter with some dieting advice: Go vegetarian.

"Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that vegetarians are far less likely to be overweight than meat-eaters and far more likely to be in better overall health," writes PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich, an Oklahoma native, in his letter to Cornett. "The American Dietetic Association--the nation's largest group of nutrition professionals--reviewed hundreds of studies and concluded that vegetarians have lower rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer than people who eat meat."

To help the mayor achieve his goal of encouraging Oklahoma City residents shed a total of 1 million pounds, PETA is offering to send its sexy Lettuce Ladies to cohost a "Ditch the Meat, Lose the Fat" Oklahoma-style cookout--complete with meatless Boca Chik'n Patties, Gardenburger Riblets, and all the fixins--for everyone who signs up for the mayor's "This City Is Going on a Diet" program.

PETA's letter to Mayor Cornett follows.

January 10, 2008
The Honorable Mick Cornett Oklahoma City Mayor

Dear Mayor Cornett:

On behalf of PETA and our more than 1.8 million members and supporters and as an Oklahoma native (I grew up in Oklahoma, and my father taught at Oklahoma University for more than 20 years), I am writing to thank you for your efforts to help Oklahoma City's residents lose weight. I'm also writing to offer our assistance—specifically, PETA would like to cohost a "Ditch the Meat, Lose the Fat" Oklahoma-style cookout with you for all residents who sign up for your "This City Is Going on a Diet" program.

Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that vegetarians are far less likely to be overweight than meat-eaters and far more likely to be in better overall health. The American Dietetic Association--the nation's largest group of nutrition professionals--reviewed hundreds of studies and concluded that vegetarians have lower rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer than people who eat meat. A healthy vegetarian diet provides all the nutrients a person needs to thrive--without the saturated animal fats and cholesterol found in meat that cause weight gain and clogged arteries.

As you may know, a government review of all the studies on weight loss found that two-thirds of dieters gain all the weight back within a year, and a whopping 97 percent gain it all back within five years. This yo-yo weight fluctuation is worse than being overweight; 97 percent of dieters would have been better off if they hadn't even bothered. The only weight-loss plan that has been scientifically proved to take weight off and keep it off for more than a year is a vegetarian diet. Many delicious vegan foods are naturally low in fat, so quantity and calorie restrictions are unnecessary. The introduction to Dr. Dean Ornish's book Eat More, Weigh Less is an excellent introduction to this topic.

At the cookout, our beautiful Lettuce Ladies (clad only in bikinis made of lettuce leaves) would serve a wide range of delicious low-fat vegetarian meals, such as Boca Chik'n Patties (a vegetarian version of chicken but with half the fat and none of the cholesterol) and Gardenburger Riblets (a healthier alternative to pig flesh). Of course, we'd also have all the fixings, such as vegetarian baked beans, corn-on-the-cob, and low-fat vegan apple pie. We would also provide each participant with a complimentary copy of PETA's "Vegetarian Starter Kit" (which can be ordered for free at GoVeg.com) that's full of delicious recipes to make at home.

Please contact me for more information or to work out details and to set a date for the cookout. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Bruce FriedrichVice President

PETA Urges Texas Prison Officials to Provide Vegetarian Meals to Suspected Cannibal

PETA Urges Texas Prison Officials to Provide Vegetarian Meals to Suspected Cannibal

For Immediate Release: January 10, 2008
Contact: Bruce Friedrich 757-622-7382

Norfolk, Va. - PETA has dispatched a letter to Smith County Jail warden Capt. Gary Pinkerton urging him to provide accused murderer Christopher Lee McCuin with only vegetarian meals to prevent him from "being involved in any senseless killing" while in prison. McCuin is accused of killing his girlfriend, dismembering her, and cooking and possibly consuming her body parts.
PETA points out that the same violent acts that McCuin stands accused of are carried out against more than 10 billion farmed animals in the U.S. every year. Stressing the link between cruelty to animals and other violent crimes, PETA asserts that vegetarian meals promote nonviolence--in addition to being healthy, cost-efficient, and easy to prepare.

Says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich, "If people are revolted by the idea of eating a human corpse, they should also lose their appetites at the thought of eating the flesh of other tortured victims."

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site GoVeg.com.

PETA's letter to Capt. Pinkerton follows.

January 10, 2008
Capt. Gary Pinkerton, Jail Administrator Smith County Jail

Dear Capt. Pinkerton:
On behalf of PETA and our more than 1.8 million members and supporters, I am writing to ask that you prevent Christopher Lee McCuin from being involved in any senseless killing while in your prison by providing him with exclusively vegetarian meals.

As you know, McCuin allegedly killed his girlfriend, cut up and boiled parts of her body, and may have consumed parts of her corpse. Tragically, every day in homes and restaurants across the U.S., humans cut up, cook, and devour the corpses of chickens, pigs, fish, and cows. Only in a culture where people routinely kill and eat living, feeling beings would anyone even think to kill and eat a human loved one.

Like humans, animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone. They have the same five senses that we do, and they have the same capacity to experience suffering and fear. And all animals share the desire to live their lives free of pain and to avoid a violent death.

It is up to you to prevent McCuin from contributing to any more suffering and death by placing him on a healthy, humane vegetarian diet.

Please visit the Web site GoVeg.com to see video footage that depicts the cruelty of factory farming and to obtain vegetarian recipes. Vegetarian meals are healthy, cost-efficient, and easy to prepare. They also promote nonviolence, which is something that every prison needs. We also would be happy to help you design meatless meal plans for McCuin--or even the entire prison.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted at 757-622-7382 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Bruce FriedrichVice President