By Carol Barnett

We had a wonderful time at the Summerfest this year. It's a satisfying blend of academic conference and summer camp, and if we can't share the camp aspect, we can pass on to you some of the new ideas we came back with.

FRANKENFOODS; OR, WHAT'S WRONG WITH GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS? Plenty. When animal genes are inserted in bio-engineered foods, these plant foods are no longer truly vegetarian. But since U.S. law does not require labeling of bio-engineered foods, vegetarians have no way of knowing if they are eating foods that violate their ethical code. From the health standpoint, consumers can risk exposure to allergens in inserted genesÑe.g., a person allergic to Brazil nuts could have a reaction to soybeans which contain Brazil genes (again, not labeled as such). Is the solution to buy organic? Perhaps, but bio-engineering poses various threats to organic farming. Sessions on this topic were given by Diane Beeny, an activist and leader of the Central Jersey Vegetarian Group, and by Steven Druker, an attorney who has organized a major lawsuit to reform the FDA's policy on genetically engineered foods. We hope to have a program on this topic at an upcoming meeting by Jon Greenbaum, a RAVS member and the Produce Manager at the Genesee Coop.

WATCH OUT, DAIRY, OR, BEHOLD THE POWER OF ROBERT COHEN. That's a play on the milk industry's new series of ads, "Behold the Power of Cheese." Robert Cohen, head of the AntiDairy Coalition and author of Milk: The Deadly Poison, attacks these ads, as he has attacked the Milk Mustache ads (he calls them "pus-taches"), with a staggering display of facts and statistics. Robert Cohen will bring his show here in October, and everyone will get to hear his "Got Milk?" litany. ("Got Milk? Got Growth Hormones, Got Antibiotics, Got Osteoporosis. . . .")

EAT YOUR VEGGIES. In his session called "Phabulous Phytochemicals to Reduce Disease Risk," Bob LeRoy, R.D. gave an up-to-the-minute survey of the many beneficial substances in plant foods and the complex interactions among them that make for optimal human health on a vegan diet.

FOOD FIGHTS. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., gave his "formula for longevity": nutrient density. Fuhrman used a nutrient breakdown to show that plant foods deliver optimal nutrition per calorie consumed. Fuhrman says the most nutrient-dense foods are leafy greens, solid green and yellow vegetables, and legumes. He is somewhat radical in suggesting that the "base" of the ideal pyramid should be vegetables (lots of them) and not grains, not even whole grains like those advocated by Dr. John McDougall and most vegetarian nutritionists, because grains are not as nutrient-dense as vegetables and legumes. Although I take his advice with a "grain" of salt, I find his perspective interesting and useful.

MORE FOOD FIGHTS There were several sessions on the virtues of a raw food diet, and while I haven't converted, I see the value of increasing the percentage of raw foods in my diet. I had a moment of insight at one session where a person in the audience said she had tried a raw food diet but found it bland and felt low on energy. The response: "You will love this diet when you get over your Ôaddictions' and when your tastes change." That's what we always say to people changing from the standard American diet (SAD) to a vegan diet, and we know the vegan diet is optimal. Does this mean that the raw food diet is just as much an improvement over the conventional vegan diet? Hmmm.

MIRACLE WOMEN. I was most impressed with two women who are cancer survivors and are in vigorous good health. Ruth Heidrich, Ph.D., author of A Race for Life: From Cancer to Ironman, discovered she had breast cancer at 47 and is now 64; Marilyn Joyce, author of I Can't Believe It's Tofu, had melanoma and metastatic uterine cancer at age 39 and is now 50. Both women healed themselves with a whole foods vegan diet; both are full of love for their own lives and for other people, and are advocates of taking health in your own hands. Heidrich does not say her cancer is cured, but that a vegan diet takes away what cancer grows on. Heidrich is also an inspiration for menopausal vegan women: without estrogen or supplements, her bone density has been increasing every year. Anyone for a run?

WE'RE WINNING. Alex Hershaft, founder of Farm Animal Reform Movement, gave a plenary session at which he asserted that instead of overthrowing the non-vegetarian institutions (supermarkets, government agencies, agribusiness), we have gradually changed them, to the point where supermarkets sell soyfoods, the government's dietary recommendations ("Strive for Five") move ever closer to the vegan four food groups , and agribusiness is manufacturing vegan food. I had to agree with Hershaft when we came back from the Summerfest on Sunday and, for each of the next three days in a row, the Democrat & Chronicle ran an article on the virtues of fruits and vegetables (those "Phabulous Phytochemicals"). And in her August 9 column for the D&C, nutritionist Celia Topping wrote: "Soy, the high-powered nutrient package of protein, fiber and unique chemicals (called phytoestrogens or isoflavones), is a leading contender for nature's most perfect food." That's the kind of language that used to be reserved for milk!

All in all, the Summerfest was a heartening experience: we liked what was old for being familiar, and what was new gave us added inspiration to spread the word about the vegan diet