Sunday, December 27, 2009
The Going Veg Promo is Finally Out!
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The teaser for “Going Veg with the Plant-Based Dietitian” is now on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/goingvegnet
Plant-Based Pregnancy
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Probably one of the strangest, most frightening and exciting experiences in my life was the first (and second) time I was pregnant and knew that everything I did directly impacted another human being's life. Talk about pressure to make appropriate choices! Unfortunately for me and my kidlets, I was not convinced yet of the miracles of plant-based, whole food nutrition. I had not yet come across books like The China Study, Disease-Proof Your Child, or Eat to Live, the books that changed my world forever.
From there, I was led down an upward spiral into a whole world of incredibly well-researched, substantiated evidence that fulfilled my lifelong dream that helping animals is safe for your health. Previously, every time I tried to go veg (during childhood, teen-hood, college, and nutrition grad school), I was shot down with utter terror that my hair would fall out, I would be sick and deficient in nutrients, and that I could never be healthy. I will never forget when my parents had their friend, a nurse, teach me how dangerous a veg diet is and they took me to a restaurant and forced me to eat a teriyaki steak to break my crazy recent "phase" of being a vegetarian.
Fast forward to now...I have absolutely no fear, no concerns about a strictly plant-based, whole food diet for myself, my husband, and even for my little kids. I do wish I had started them early, but the confidence was just not there yet. It's better late than never...right?
So, if I were pregnant again (which, according to my husband, will not happen), what would I do to ensure optimal nutrition for my baby and me???
First, I would be sure to ignore other people's concerns and opinions. Or, at least set them straight with information to ameliorate their concerns.
Second, I would make sure I was eating all the right foods everyday. What does that mean? Here is a great article that describes the details: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/pregnancy.htm. Even though it is now super-controversial, for the first trimester I would take a B supplement to make sure I was getting enough folic acid (at least 400 mcg/day). Just in case. I would, of course, try to eat all the greens I could get into my mouth all day long...but, nausea??? I couldn't even look at vegetables (my favorite food group normally) during the first three months of my pregnancies. So, just to be safe and prevent any neural tube defects, I would take the silly supplement and move on...just for the first three months. After the nausea subsided and I could eat greens ad libitum, I would opt for that instead.
Third, I would do my best to include as many greens, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruit as I could all day long. I wouldn't worry about calories or other numbers. Just focus on nourishing my little bubula inside my belly.
Another fun thought that I will never forget is advice given to me by my acupuncturist at the time I was getting prego...he told me that I should eat walnuts everyday because in Chinese medicine, walnuts help build and support the brain. He justified this suggestion based on the fact that walnuts look like little brains. I laughed, ate as many walnuts as I could (even though they were nauseating and hideous during my pregnancies...I had to plug my nose to get them down), and thought about it later. He was brilliant! If you look at the nutrients in a walnut, it is exceedingly high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an incredibly important nutrient during pregnancy: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t040900.asp.
Ultimately, eating for two is a lot more simple and significant than is led to believe. Forget the pills...eat plants!!! Your baby will appreciate it for the rest of his/her life...
From there, I was led down an upward spiral into a whole world of incredibly well-researched, substantiated evidence that fulfilled my lifelong dream that helping animals is safe for your health. Previously, every time I tried to go veg (during childhood, teen-hood, college, and nutrition grad school), I was shot down with utter terror that my hair would fall out, I would be sick and deficient in nutrients, and that I could never be healthy. I will never forget when my parents had their friend, a nurse, teach me how dangerous a veg diet is and they took me to a restaurant and forced me to eat a teriyaki steak to break my crazy recent "phase" of being a vegetarian.
Fast forward to now...I have absolutely no fear, no concerns about a strictly plant-based, whole food diet for myself, my husband, and even for my little kids. I do wish I had started them early, but the confidence was just not there yet. It's better late than never...right?
So, if I were pregnant again (which, according to my husband, will not happen), what would I do to ensure optimal nutrition for my baby and me???
First, I would be sure to ignore other people's concerns and opinions. Or, at least set them straight with information to ameliorate their concerns.
Second, I would make sure I was eating all the right foods everyday. What does that mean? Here is a great article that describes the details: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/pregnancy.htm. Even though it is now super-controversial, for the first trimester I would take a B supplement to make sure I was getting enough folic acid (at least 400 mcg/day). Just in case. I would, of course, try to eat all the greens I could get into my mouth all day long...but, nausea??? I couldn't even look at vegetables (my favorite food group normally) during the first three months of my pregnancies. So, just to be safe and prevent any neural tube defects, I would take the silly supplement and move on...just for the first three months. After the nausea subsided and I could eat greens ad libitum, I would opt for that instead.
Third, I would do my best to include as many greens, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruit as I could all day long. I wouldn't worry about calories or other numbers. Just focus on nourishing my little bubula inside my belly.
Another fun thought that I will never forget is advice given to me by my acupuncturist at the time I was getting prego...he told me that I should eat walnuts everyday because in Chinese medicine, walnuts help build and support the brain. He justified this suggestion based on the fact that walnuts look like little brains. I laughed, ate as many walnuts as I could (even though they were nauseating and hideous during my pregnancies...I had to plug my nose to get them down), and thought about it later. He was brilliant! If you look at the nutrients in a walnut, it is exceedingly high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an incredibly important nutrient during pregnancy: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t040900.asp.
Ultimately, eating for two is a lot more simple and significant than is led to believe. Forget the pills...eat plants!!! Your baby will appreciate it for the rest of his/her life...
Saturday, December 26, 2009
How to Save Your Health, the Earth and the Animals with your Fork
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The perfect ideology about health can be summed up by the Father of Modern Medicine, Hippocrates, when he said: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”. I propose that the ultimate epitome of medicinal consumption is a whole food, plant-based diet. What is plant-based nutrition? It is a diet that creates health; prevents and even reverses disease; assists with weight loss; and enhances energy, endurance, beauty and strength. It is a diet based on whole foods that come direct from nature.
There is currently a vast enormity of scientific data that confirms and substantiates the fact that a whole food, plant-based diet creates health. There is decades of evidence showing that the Standard American Diet (SAD; high-fat, high-protein, low nutrient) is the cause of the growing incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic diseases. Ultimately, no matter what your genetic destiny, these diseases can be prevented and reversed and it all depends on what is at the end of your fork…
There are two components to eating for health…what you choose not to eat and what you should eat. The worst products to put into your body includes animal protein, fat, processed “foods”, artificial colors/flavors, preservatives, and chemicals. On the other hand, what your body and immune system need to thrive and protect itself is a variety of plants, namely: grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit…the new four food groups.
Research demonstrates the fact that animal protein itself (including that from eggs, dairy, fish, fowl, red meat, and pork) can turn on and off carcinogenesis (cancer formation). Additionally, the further you get from nature (meaning, the more processed the food), the closer you get to disease formation.
Conversely, plant-based, whole foods are full of phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are nutrient-dense and flood the body with usable compounds to build immunity, fight disease, re-build, detoxify and maintain health. The more of these nutrients you consume, the stronger your immune system will be.
With respect to the Earth, the number one greatest thing you can do decrease your carbon footprint (and to thereby minimize your effect on Global Warming) is to eat plants and not eat animal products. The World Health Organization came to the conclusion in their 2006 report that livestock production was the number one cause of greenhouse emissions. They determined that eating animal products was responsible for more damage than all transportation combined. In other words, a vegan driving a Hummer is less harmful to the environment than a meat-eater driving a Prius!
A final reason to put plants on your fork and to just say no to meat is the horrific treatment of animals in Factory Farms and in the Slaughterhouses. Cows, chickens, pigs and other animals are abused, tortured, and live a terrifying, miserable life before they get violently killed for consumption. Because there is such a demand for animal products, farmers are forced to utilize extreme measures to meet that demand. Thus, the less animal products people buy, the less terror reigns on the animals.
Overall, there is no better decision you can make to save your health, heal the environment, and stop the abuse of animals than what you put on the end of your fork. It all begins with one meal.
To learn more about how to make these changes, check out my website: www.PlantBasedDietitian.com
There is currently a vast enormity of scientific data that confirms and substantiates the fact that a whole food, plant-based diet creates health. There is decades of evidence showing that the Standard American Diet (SAD; high-fat, high-protein, low nutrient) is the cause of the growing incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic diseases. Ultimately, no matter what your genetic destiny, these diseases can be prevented and reversed and it all depends on what is at the end of your fork…
There are two components to eating for health…what you choose not to eat and what you should eat. The worst products to put into your body includes animal protein, fat, processed “foods”, artificial colors/flavors, preservatives, and chemicals. On the other hand, what your body and immune system need to thrive and protect itself is a variety of plants, namely: grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit…the new four food groups.
Research demonstrates the fact that animal protein itself (including that from eggs, dairy, fish, fowl, red meat, and pork) can turn on and off carcinogenesis (cancer formation). Additionally, the further you get from nature (meaning, the more processed the food), the closer you get to disease formation.
Conversely, plant-based, whole foods are full of phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are nutrient-dense and flood the body with usable compounds to build immunity, fight disease, re-build, detoxify and maintain health. The more of these nutrients you consume, the stronger your immune system will be.
With respect to the Earth, the number one greatest thing you can do decrease your carbon footprint (and to thereby minimize your effect on Global Warming) is to eat plants and not eat animal products. The World Health Organization came to the conclusion in their 2006 report that livestock production was the number one cause of greenhouse emissions. They determined that eating animal products was responsible for more damage than all transportation combined. In other words, a vegan driving a Hummer is less harmful to the environment than a meat-eater driving a Prius!
A final reason to put plants on your fork and to just say no to meat is the horrific treatment of animals in Factory Farms and in the Slaughterhouses. Cows, chickens, pigs and other animals are abused, tortured, and live a terrifying, miserable life before they get violently killed for consumption. Because there is such a demand for animal products, farmers are forced to utilize extreme measures to meet that demand. Thus, the less animal products people buy, the less terror reigns on the animals.
Overall, there is no better decision you can make to save your health, heal the environment, and stop the abuse of animals than what you put on the end of your fork. It all begins with one meal.
To learn more about how to make these changes, check out my website: www.PlantBasedDietitian.com
Saturday, December 19, 2009
My New Year's Wish
Labels: 2010, earth, factory farming, future of the planet, new years, plant-based nutrition, vegan 0 comments
So here we are in the future...where we are supposed to be flying around in our spacecars, wearing silver metal sleeksuits, and where robots make our dinner and clean the dishes. We are actually heading in that direction at the rate we are going...but not in the idealized projection. We will be forced to live up in our sky hightower homes because our Earth will be sucked dry and destroyed from all of the damage we have placed on it. We will be eating food that we grew in our hydroponic, indoor planters, depleted of true sun-filled nutrition and popping chemistry lab-made supplements to fulfill our deficiencies...
Oooo...this sort of prediction is eerie in its potential probability. I prefer to live on the planet the way we are now...visiting Farmer's Markets and Trader Joes, cooking my meals at home, and having beaches, mountains, and farmland to visit whenever I feel the desire.
In order to do this, I am making a New Year's Wish...I am wishing that the knowledge of the implications associated with Factory Farming; the overuse of drugs (antibiotics, steroids, and hormones); the abuse of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides; and the abuse of animals due to the high demand for their use as food will be acknowledged and absorbed by millions of people in 2010. I am hoping these millions of people will simultaneously recognize that the healthiest diet for the planet and for the animals just happens to be the same one that will sustain longevity and vitality, prevent disease and enhance energy, beauty and endurance.
To a happy, healthy 2010!!!
Oooo...this sort of prediction is eerie in its potential probability. I prefer to live on the planet the way we are now...visiting Farmer's Markets and Trader Joes, cooking my meals at home, and having beaches, mountains, and farmland to visit whenever I feel the desire.
In order to do this, I am making a New Year's Wish...I am wishing that the knowledge of the implications associated with Factory Farming; the overuse of drugs (antibiotics, steroids, and hormones); the abuse of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides; and the abuse of animals due to the high demand for their use as food will be acknowledged and absorbed by millions of people in 2010. I am hoping these millions of people will simultaneously recognize that the healthiest diet for the planet and for the animals just happens to be the same one that will sustain longevity and vitality, prevent disease and enhance energy, beauty and endurance.
To a happy, healthy 2010!!!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Thriving with Brendan Brazier
Labels: Thrive: An Afternoon with Brendan Brazier 1 comments
This afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Brendan Brazier...author of the bestseller Thrive and Thrive Fitness; creator of the award-winning, delicious and superfood-rich product line, Vega; and professional athlete extraordinaire. Brendan was a professional Ironman Triathlete and two-time champion of the Canadian 50Km Ultra Marathon. He was named one of the 25 Most Fascinating Vegetarians by VegNews Magazine and is a guest lecturer for eCornell's Plant-Based Certification Program. Brendan is 100% powered by plants and he has nutrition down to a perfect science and art.
First-hand experience is considered anecdotal research. But Brendan used this concept scientifically as he manipulated the biochemistry of his food to his advantage, studying every nuance and perfecting the precise formula to enhance performance and recovery. He succeeded and is teaching the world what he has learned. His books are full of accurate, provocative information; fantastic recipes that everyone will enjoy; and guidance for maximizing energy, endurance, strength and vitality.
It was truly exciting to meet Brendan and to learn more about his experiences and goals. He has an aura of calm tranquility mixed with wisdom and strength which is rather infectious and inspiring. He has a book coming out in 2011 tying together the environmental implications to the way we eat. I cannot wait to read it. Stay tuned to Brendan and see his interview as Going Veg with the Plant-Based Dietitian progresses!
Another Piece of the Pie
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Julieanna's Note:
This is a guest blog from Jon Ham from Fitness On The Run and SUP Trainer. Jon found out about me at a party while talking to one of our mutual neighbors who thought we might be a good fit to bounce health/fitness ideas off of since we both are trainers and Jon also has a strong nutrition background. You will see regular content from Jon and I in the future based around health, fitness, and lifestyle that is meant to help you along in your own personal journey.
By now you have made the decision to embrace a plant based nutritional lifestyle, but there are other important factors when looking at your fitness other than your eating habits. Historically in the “Fitness Industry” there are 3 components of fitness that should be the focus for training – Cardiovascular Training, Strength Training, and Nutrition, although I believe the pie is even LARGER than those three and should include 3 more components – Core Training, Balance Training, and Flexibility Training. Without a focus on all these essential components of training, you will not be at your optimum.
Today I am going to write solely on Core Training. The core consists of all the musculature surrounding the spine. If you cut your arms and legs off, only your core remains. Training your core is vital for your total body strength and injury prevention. Suppose you have a large tree with a small, weak trunk. When a powerful wind blows, it doesn’t matter how strong the branches are, that tree is coming down! The same principle applies to our body!
To effectively train your core, you must train your spine’s stability by making your spine hold your body weight. This forces your body to stabilize your spine, causing all the muscles around your spine to coordinate an effort to support it. Many of the exercises which are unstable and train the core can be done with your own body weight, holding it in a stable position. Others can be done using the stability ball, Indo Board, and TRX.
Here is a quick example of a core training routine which should be done every other day in addition to other exercises. These exercises don’t require ANY equipment, train your core, can be done anywhere, and will make you feel better if you do them 2-3 days per week. Do 2- 3 sets of each exercise and begin with holding each one 20 seconds, and build up to 1 minute.
Floor Plank, Floor Side Plank, Prone Cobra, 1 Leg Floor Bridge
This is a guest blog from Jon Ham from Fitness On The Run and SUP Trainer. Jon found out about me at a party while talking to one of our mutual neighbors who thought we might be a good fit to bounce health/fitness ideas off of since we both are trainers and Jon also has a strong nutrition background. You will see regular content from Jon and I in the future based around health, fitness, and lifestyle that is meant to help you along in your own personal journey.
By now you have made the decision to embrace a plant based nutritional lifestyle, but there are other important factors when looking at your fitness other than your eating habits. Historically in the “Fitness Industry” there are 3 components of fitness that should be the focus for training – Cardiovascular Training, Strength Training, and Nutrition, although I believe the pie is even LARGER than those three and should include 3 more components – Core Training, Balance Training, and Flexibility Training. Without a focus on all these essential components of training, you will not be at your optimum.
Today I am going to write solely on Core Training. The core consists of all the musculature surrounding the spine. If you cut your arms and legs off, only your core remains. Training your core is vital for your total body strength and injury prevention. Suppose you have a large tree with a small, weak trunk. When a powerful wind blows, it doesn’t matter how strong the branches are, that tree is coming down! The same principle applies to our body!
To effectively train your core, you must train your spine’s stability by making your spine hold your body weight. This forces your body to stabilize your spine, causing all the muscles around your spine to coordinate an effort to support it. Many of the exercises which are unstable and train the core can be done with your own body weight, holding it in a stable position. Others can be done using the stability ball, Indo Board, and TRX.
Here is a quick example of a core training routine which should be done every other day in addition to other exercises. These exercises don’t require ANY equipment, train your core, can be done anywhere, and will make you feel better if you do them 2-3 days per week. Do 2- 3 sets of each exercise and begin with holding each one 20 seconds, and build up to 1 minute.
Floor Plank, Floor Side Plank, Prone Cobra, 1 Leg Floor Bridge
Pictures demonstrating these exercises can be found at: http://bit.ly/54VeaW
For more information- visit Jon’s Website at http://www.fitnesstrainingbyjon.com/
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Dr. T. Colin Campbell
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I finally had the opportunity to meet the "Father of Modern Nutrition", Dr. T. Colin Campbell, last week in Ithaca, NY. After having him sign my copy of The China Study, the revolutionary book that inspired my career, he obliged me with a brilliant interview describing his book and his decades of extraordinary research on nutritional biochemistry (especially protein and cancer). Much to my excitement, I was also offered a glance into the concepts behind his latest book, which he is actively determined to complete. He exclaimed that his wife refuses to feed him until he works on the book! They are both eager to get this information out in the public. Personally, I cannot wait to read more of the behind-the-scenes nitty-gritty that Dr. Campbell has experienced first-hand. From politics and government to re-defining nutrition, this book has all the makings of a life-changing best-seller!
Dr. Campbell and his wonderful wife then had us in their home for a delicious plant-based potluck where the conversation was fascinating and the food...fabulous! The whole time, I just could not believe I was sitting at the dinner table with Dr. Campbell!!! It was surreal, to say the least!
The evening I returned home, I began instructing my first class for eCornell's Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Program, which is Dr. Campbell's series of courses that delve deeper into his research and its application. It presents a different paradigm, exploring the topic of nutrition both as a science and as a critical component in medicine. http://bit.ly/249Iv. As a graduate, I am thrilled to be able to actively continue to participate. I currently have students in all parts of the world, from Singapore to the Czech Republic, Holland to Istanbul. Dr. Campbell's work is clearly making an impact universally. It is an honor to be a part of this revolution!
Dr. Campbell and his wonderful wife then had us in their home for a delicious plant-based potluck where the conversation was fascinating and the food...fabulous! The whole time, I just could not believe I was sitting at the dinner table with Dr. Campbell!!! It was surreal, to say the least!
The evening I returned home, I began instructing my first class for eCornell's Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Program, which is Dr. Campbell's series of courses that delve deeper into his research and its application. It presents a different paradigm, exploring the topic of nutrition both as a science and as a critical component in medicine. http://bit.ly/249Iv. As a graduate, I am thrilled to be able to actively continue to participate. I currently have students in all parts of the world, from Singapore to the Czech Republic, Holland to Istanbul. Dr. Campbell's work is clearly making an impact universally. It is an honor to be a part of this revolution!
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Experience of our First Leg of Tour de Gurus
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Going Veg...East Coast Tour de Gurus... http://goingvegtv.wordpress...
Interviewing Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Labels: Dr. Fuhrman 11/09 0 comments
This past weekend kickstarted our Tour De Interviews of the Premier Experts in Nutrition for Going Veg with the Plant-Based Dietitian. We started off in New Jersey where we went to Dr. Joel Fuhrman's home. Him and his wife made us a delicious plant-based dinner before we headed off to his awesome office to conduct the interview for film. Here he is whipping up a delicious and nutritious salad dressing.
Dr. Fuhrman, is the best-selling author of Eat to Live, Eat for Health and Disease-Proof your Child, amongst many other critical books. He practices as a Family Physician and not only specializes, but is a Pioneer in Modern Nutritional Medicine. Dr. Fuhrman has appeared in hundreds of magazines, radio, and television shows including: Good Morning America, The Today Show, Good Day New York, America’s Talking, TV Food Network, CNN and the Discovery Channel. In fact, last week, there was an article in People Magazine about how Alanis Morrissette used Dr. Fuhrman's diet to lose lots of weight and get in the best shape ever. This story was featured on the E! Network's "15 Celebrity Body Bouncebacks" this past Wednesday!
Needless to say, he is doing amazing work, having helped thousands of people with varying diseases and conditions in his 20 years of practice. It was so fascinating to see his office, taste his delicious food products in his line, and listen to his genius one-on-one. His website is http://www.drfuhrman.com/ and he has all his books, food products, etc. to order as well as articles and limitless information.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Going Veg!
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To Your Health Fitness & Nutrition and Genre Pictures are heading into production of Going Veg with the Plant-Based Dietitian! We are kicking off our interview tour next week where we will meet with and interview the most significant contributors to nutritional science and practice of our generation. Track us on our blog www.goingveg.net for updates and pictures as we begin this extraordinary journey...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
To Cheese or Not To Cheese Chose Uncheese
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Meatless Monday's Chef Kinzie, a dear friend of mine, decided to give up cheese after the Veg Source Health Expo this weekend! Check out her amazing description of why at http://www.tocheeseornottocheese.com/
Monday, October 19, 2009
Veg Source Health Expo 2009
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Getting back to the daily grind was tough this morning after coming off of the daze initiated by the most inspirational and educational weekend of my entire career. Not only did I hear Dr. Fuhrman speak twice and have the opportunity to speak with him, but I had lunch with Dr. John McDougall yesterday!!! He gave three fascinating and provocative lectures about the importance of a starch-based diet, the myth about salt, and about fat vegans.
One of the most touching parts of this weekend was listening to John Robbins, the animal rights- and environmental activist hero of our generation. He is the wise and compassionate author of at least two of the most important books of our time: Diet for a New America and Food Revolution. The former is the reason that I became empassioned about animal rights as a little girl. He fueled my fire to help stop factory farming, which is what led me to plant-based nutrition. I was able to thank him for that, even though I couldn't hold back the tears as I spoke. He has such a presence...the room vibrated with powerful positive energy. He fills his audience with compassion and left not a single member unmoved.
We also saw the charming and "Plant-Strong" author of The Engine 2 Diet, Texas firefighter Rip Esselstyn speak. The hillareous dietitian, Jeffrey Novick, M.S., R.D. made us all laugh as he spoke about fats (a usually un-funny topic). They provided us with a cooking demo, a panel discussion, and delicious plant-based meals created from Dr. Fuhrman's recipes. Right in the middle of the day yesterday, a Buddhist monk named Rev. Heng Sure, PhD, spoke beautifully about simplicity and played the banjo and sang!
Overall, this weekend left me infused with energy. I am bursting at my seams with new knowledge, heightened passion, and fire under my feet!!!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
I met my Guru Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.!!!
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Yesterday at the VegSource Health Expo, I finally was able to hear Dr. Joel Fuhrman speak. He is the author of some of the most important nutrition books written in our generation, including Disease-Proof your Child, Eat to Live, Fasting and Eating for Health, and his latest, Eat for Health. His books explain the whys and hows of achieving "nutritional excellence" with strongly substantiated research. This man is a walking encyclopedia! It was definitely a highlight of my education. He is also incredibly warm and kind, offering answers to everyones' questions, providing powerful and provocative responses. What an amazing day!!!
Monday, October 12, 2009
My Interview with Dr. Terri Lisagor on Meatless Mondays
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Check out my interview with my favorite professor of all time, Nutrition Expert Extraordinaire, Dr. Terri Lisagor: http://bit.ly/RmdE4!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine Pre-Gala Event
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I met Dr. Neal Barnard last night at a kick-off party for PCRM's 25th Anniversary Celebration Gala that will take place in April. It was so inspiring! Rory Freedman, author of the very successful book Skinny Bitch, was there as was Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness and person responsible for getting Oprah trying a vegan diet for 3 weeks! Skinny Bitch is actually the book that started me on my journey towards becoming completely plant-based. I had wanted to do it since I was a child, but somehow this book made it seem impossible not to. It was amazing to thank Rory for doing that for me, as well as thousands of other readers. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend you pick up a copy. She set me in motion for my mission to teach the world about the miracles of plant-based nutrition!
PCRM is one of the most important and active organizations that fight for both animal rights as well as educating the public on why plant-based nutrition can save your life. I highly recommend you check out their website www.PCRM.org and sign up for their mailing list. They make it so simple to help animals by providing links to send e-mails and make phone calls to universities, hospitals, government officials to support specific issues, such as eliminating needless cruel animal testing, providing healthy options in schools, and many others. You can also order a free Vegetarian Starter Kit that is full of great facts and advice.
In honor of their 25th anniversary, I hope to get more people involved and, at the very least, aware of this phenomenol and critical organization.
PCRM is one of the most important and active organizations that fight for both animal rights as well as educating the public on why plant-based nutrition can save your life. I highly recommend you check out their website www.PCRM.org and sign up for their mailing list. They make it so simple to help animals by providing links to send e-mails and make phone calls to universities, hospitals, government officials to support specific issues, such as eliminating needless cruel animal testing, providing healthy options in schools, and many others. You can also order a free Vegetarian Starter Kit that is full of great facts and advice.
In honor of their 25th anniversary, I hope to get more people involved and, at the very least, aware of this phenomenol and critical organization.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Another Dreamy Plan-Based Mom Moment!
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My Mom is always asking to have sleepovers with my kids. I usually hesitate for a few reasons: 1) I am a control-freak :)!; 2) My Mom feeds my kids ice cream at any opportunity and then claims, "They wanted it"; and 3) I really miss my kids when they are gone for a whole night.
The other day I relented and allowed my 4 year-old daughter to stay over my parents' house. A few hours after I dropped her off with my Mom, I received a phone call. My Mom says, "The lady at the store where we are shopping is offering Maya a Tootsie Roll Lollipop. She said she had to call you to see if it was OK."
(YES! I am thinking to myself...a minor miracle!).
I replied, "Mom, why couldn't you just distract her, say no politely to the lady, and move on?" She relayed the information to Maya, that I did not want her to have the lollipop. Here is the real kicker...she exclaimed, "OK! I didn't want it anyway."
The moral of this story is this...kids do not have to have everything they want. Maybe they don't even want to have everything they say they want. Learning boundaries applies to food just as it does to buying toys. In fact, one of the most important lessons kids need to learn is how to eat healthfully in order to set up their habits for life.
Yea! Score again for Mommy!!!
The other day I relented and allowed my 4 year-old daughter to stay over my parents' house. A few hours after I dropped her off with my Mom, I received a phone call. My Mom says, "The lady at the store where we are shopping is offering Maya a Tootsie Roll Lollipop. She said she had to call you to see if it was OK."
(YES! I am thinking to myself...a minor miracle!).
I replied, "Mom, why couldn't you just distract her, say no politely to the lady, and move on?" She relayed the information to Maya, that I did not want her to have the lollipop. Here is the real kicker...she exclaimed, "OK! I didn't want it anyway."
The moral of this story is this...kids do not have to have everything they want. Maybe they don't even want to have everything they say they want. Learning boundaries applies to food just as it does to buying toys. In fact, one of the most important lessons kids need to learn is how to eat healthfully in order to set up their habits for life.
Yea! Score again for Mommy!!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Walk for Farm Animals this Saturday
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Please join me on Saturday, October 3rd at 9:30am for a short walk (1.5-2 miles) around beautiful, breezy Ventura, CA: http://bit.ly/SenTT
The small donation of $15 goes to support Farm Sanctuary, an incredible organization that fights to save animals from their horrifying plight on factory farms. Plus, you get a t-shirt!
I will be giving a brief nutrition schpiel before the walk and will have a table set up to offer nutrition advice about Plant-Based nutrition.
The small donation of $15 goes to support Farm Sanctuary, an incredible organization that fights to save animals from their horrifying plight on factory farms. Plus, you get a t-shirt!
I will be giving a brief nutrition schpiel before the walk and will have a table set up to offer nutrition advice about Plant-Based nutrition.
Green Your Diet, Your Fitness and Your Home
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Happy October, Plant-Based Friends!
Check out the October To Your Health Newsletter: http://bit.ly/7PwJA
Check out the October To Your Health Newsletter: http://bit.ly/7PwJA
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Get your Kidlets to Eat their Veggies!
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A mere 10% of high school students are getting their minimum recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day! Truly, 5-a-day is barely a minimum and that means, as a country, we are in big trouble. http://bit.ly/OMf4n
The truth is that because it is so difficult to get kids to eat the way they need to, we need to find methods to help them out. I have a few ideas:
1) Provide opportunities for your kids to eat fruit and veggies. Keep them readily available and ready-to-eat. Cut-up veggies inb the fridge with dip (hummus, healthy dressings). Keep offering at every meal...get them used to seeing and tasting them. Add fruits for dessert, veggies at meals. Sneak them in at every possibility. Make salads, soups, and dishes that use veggies and fruits. See my website for cookbook recommendations: www.ToYourHealthNutrition.com.
2) Be a role model. Show your kidlets how much you LOVE eating your fruits and veggies. They watch. They notice. They absorb. It is the single most important behavior you can provide your children.
3) Provide them Juice Plus to fill in the gaps... www.JulieannaMSRDJuicePlus.com. It is literally 15 fruits and veggies with 2 whole grains in a capsule, chewie or gummmie. Kids LOVE them and it bridges the gap between trying to eat enough fruits and veggies and getting the phytonutrients they need...
The truth is that because it is so difficult to get kids to eat the way they need to, we need to find methods to help them out. I have a few ideas:
1) Provide opportunities for your kids to eat fruit and veggies. Keep them readily available and ready-to-eat. Cut-up veggies inb the fridge with dip (hummus, healthy dressings). Keep offering at every meal...get them used to seeing and tasting them. Add fruits for dessert, veggies at meals. Sneak them in at every possibility. Make salads, soups, and dishes that use veggies and fruits. See my website for cookbook recommendations: www.ToYourHealthNutrition.com.
2) Be a role model. Show your kidlets how much you LOVE eating your fruits and veggies. They watch. They notice. They absorb. It is the single most important behavior you can provide your children.
3) Provide them Juice Plus to fill in the gaps... www.JulieannaMSRDJuicePlus.com. It is literally 15 fruits and veggies with 2 whole grains in a capsule, chewie or gummmie. Kids LOVE them and it bridges the gap between trying to eat enough fruits and veggies and getting the phytonutrients they need...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Exploiting our MInds at the Grocery Store
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I received this letter in my e-mail this morning and it just proved the point that the food industry is brilliant at manipulating our minds. To make sugary cereal a "healthy choice" is criminal. People end up so confused when shopping at the market, any effort to eat healthy gets sabotaged. Please read this letter and sign the linked petition to the FDA to try and stop this nonsense!
Dear Julieanna,
Ever get the feeling that multinational food corporations are just trying to sell you a bunch of junk in a pretty package? Well, the new Smart Choices® Program proves that hunch to be true.
Recently, an alliance of over a dozen giant food conglomerates and some industry “experts” came up with a new nutrition labeling program meant to help consumers make “smarter food and beverage choices.”1 You might be surprised what they define as a “Smart Choice”: products like Froot Loops®, Keebler Cookie Crunch® and Lucky Charms®.
Are they serious? In an age when childhood obesity and type II diabetes has become an epidemic, labeling sugar cereals as smart choices is unacceptable. Please join us in telling the FDA and USDA to investigate the Smart Choices® Program and put an end to deceptive labeling.
http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/39?akid=23.50689.sSmvcP&t=1
The new Smart Choices® label, a large, bright green checkmark, is starting to appear on packages of processed food across the country thanks to the help of major corporations like ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, PepsiCo, Tyson Foods and Unilever.2 For only $100,000, a company can join the Smart Choices® program3 and “recommend” products that contain as much as 44% sugar to your children.4
This new label is a sign of everything that is wrong with food industry driven labeling programs.
According to Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the criteria for the new “smarter food” label is so low that: “You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria.”5
Jacobson, who was on the original panel of experts that worked to create the nutritional standards for the Smart Choices® program, resigned last September in disgust because the results were so far in favor of the industry.
Thankfully, the FDA and USDA have taken notice. The agencies sent a joint letter saying they would “be concerned if any FOP (front of package) labeling systems…had the effect of encouraging consumers to choose highly processed foods…”6 The letter is a good start, but The FDA and USDA need to do more. The Smart Choices program will encourage bad food choices if it's allowed to proceed. And the FDA and USDA have the ability to stop it.
Please sign this petition now and tell the FDA and the USDA that Froot Loops® is NOT a Smart Choice for our children.
http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/39?akid=23.50689.sSmvcP&t=1
Thanks for all you do,
Dave, Lisa and the Food Democracy Now! Team
Dear Julieanna,
Ever get the feeling that multinational food corporations are just trying to sell you a bunch of junk in a pretty package? Well, the new Smart Choices® Program proves that hunch to be true.
Recently, an alliance of over a dozen giant food conglomerates and some industry “experts” came up with a new nutrition labeling program meant to help consumers make “smarter food and beverage choices.”1 You might be surprised what they define as a “Smart Choice”: products like Froot Loops®, Keebler Cookie Crunch® and Lucky Charms®.
Are they serious? In an age when childhood obesity and type II diabetes has become an epidemic, labeling sugar cereals as smart choices is unacceptable. Please join us in telling the FDA and USDA to investigate the Smart Choices® Program and put an end to deceptive labeling.
http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/39?akid=23.50689.sSmvcP&t=1
The new Smart Choices® label, a large, bright green checkmark, is starting to appear on packages of processed food across the country thanks to the help of major corporations like ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, PepsiCo, Tyson Foods and Unilever.2 For only $100,000, a company can join the Smart Choices® program3 and “recommend” products that contain as much as 44% sugar to your children.4
This new label is a sign of everything that is wrong with food industry driven labeling programs.
According to Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the criteria for the new “smarter food” label is so low that: “You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria.”5
Jacobson, who was on the original panel of experts that worked to create the nutritional standards for the Smart Choices® program, resigned last September in disgust because the results were so far in favor of the industry.
Thankfully, the FDA and USDA have taken notice. The agencies sent a joint letter saying they would “be concerned if any FOP (front of package) labeling systems…had the effect of encouraging consumers to choose highly processed foods…”6 The letter is a good start, but The FDA and USDA need to do more. The Smart Choices program will encourage bad food choices if it's allowed to proceed. And the FDA and USDA have the ability to stop it.
Please sign this petition now and tell the FDA and the USDA that Froot Loops® is NOT a Smart Choice for our children.
http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/39?akid=23.50689.sSmvcP&t=1
Thanks for all you do,
Dave, Lisa and the Food Democracy Now! Team
Monday, September 21, 2009
Collaboration with Genre Pictures
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Please take a look at my dear friend and fantastic filmmaker, Jesse Pomeroy's, blog at: http://genrepix.wordpress.com/. We are currently working on a Plant-Based documentary as he is the best filmmaker I know and am thrilled to be collaborating with him. His latest film, World Full of Nothing, is being shown at the Naperville Independent Film Festival this week and Jesse has been nominated for Best Feature Director!!!
Meatless Mondays!
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Happy Monday! Check out my interview that came out today on Meatless Mondays at http://www.meatlessmonday.com/nutrition-is-a-family-affair/
Try going meatless this Monday! There are delicious recipes on their website plus my website, www.ToYourHealthNutrition.com has some great cookbook suggestions as well as other website links!
Try going meatless this Monday! There are delicious recipes on their website plus my website, www.ToYourHealthNutrition.com has some great cookbook suggestions as well as other website links!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
A Plant-Based Mom's Dream Come True!
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When I picked up my daughter from Pre-Kindergarten the other day, the teacher alerted me to the fact that when they passed around doughnuts for snack, my daughter elected to grab her apple from her lunch and eat that instead!!!
The biggest challenge when trying to implement a healthy diet for your children is all the opposition that is readily available when you send them into the world, unsheltered and left to fight for themselves.
All I can hope for is that the constant bombardment of health information I provide to my kids as well as the consistent role modeling (plus the extreme cheerleading when they get it right) will lead them to make healthy choices on their own, as my daughter did at school the other day.
The biggest challenge when trying to implement a healthy diet for your children is all the opposition that is readily available when you send them into the world, unsheltered and left to fight for themselves.
All I can hope for is that the constant bombardment of health information I provide to my kids as well as the consistent role modeling (plus the extreme cheerleading when they get it right) will lead them to make healthy choices on their own, as my daughter did at school the other day.
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